Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 11/30/2010

Question
My brother was given a paralytic drug due to a bleeding lung. When his lung healed, they took him off the drug.  They are also slowly weaning him off steroids (treatment for a dangerously low platelet count, which probably caused the lung problem). It has been over a month, and still no movement in arms/legs, but he can move his head but cannot hold it up. Just how long do some patients take to recover?  Drs are telling him this may be as good as it gets. Can this be true?

Answer
It depends on what drug they were given, for how long, their weight and their general nutrition status. If it has been a while with no improvement, then it is likely not becuase of the paralytics but might be a central cause that a neurologist needs to evaluate. If it is from paralytics, then the patient should be able to move fingers before arms, arms before trunk, etc.

Ronald Levy, MD
Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston