Was Grace Schara Euthanized in ICU? Shocking Verdict Ends Informed Consent in Hospitals

“Was Grace Schara euthanized in ICU? Shocking verdict ends informed consent in hospitals.”

My name is Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com, where we instantly improve the lives for families in intensive care so that you can make informed decisions, have peace of mind, control, power, and influence, so that your loved one always gets best care and treatment, and that you can influence decision making fast even if you’re not a doctor or a nurse in intensive care.

Today’s topic is, “Was Grace Schara euthanized in ICU? Shocking verdict ends informed consent in hospitals.” So, some of you may have followed the Grace Schara case in Wisconsin in the United States. I’ve had Grace’s dad on my podcast a while ago, Scott Schara. Scott has been taking the hospital to court as he was having evidence that the hospital euthanized his daughter. But let’s look at the verdict and the case in more detail today.

So, this blog post today is actually deeply disturbing and should alarm anyone with a loved one in the hospital, especially in intensive care in Wisconsin. Scott Schara’s daughter, Grace, died in a hospital ICU after being given a combination of lorazepam, Precedex, morphine, midazolam and fentanyl while on BIPAP (Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure).

If you know anything about those drugs and medications and the impact they have on respiratory drive, you know this is not standard. This drug combination, especially in a vulnerable patient on BIPAP, suppresses breathing to the point of death. So yes, the question must be asked, “Was this euthanasia?”

Also, for anyone who is not familiar with the case, Grace Schara was 19 years of age, 19. So, this is a teenager that was basically killed by the hospital system and all evidence points towards it. Scott and his legal team took this case to trial in Wisconsin in the U.S. The trial lasted almost 3 weeks. The jury deliberated for only 15 minutes before ruling in favor of the defense, i.e. the hospital. Let that sink in, 15 minutes after 3 weeks of evidence, expert testimony, and argument. Scott’s team had stronger witnesses, better experts and most importantly, the truth on their side, but in the end it didn’t matter.

Here’s why the verdict is terrifying. Defense claimed implied consent by simply being in a hospital. They argued no informed consent is necessary for the medications to be given, even those that led to Grace’s death. They stated that the DNI (do not intubate) equals a DNR (do not resuscitate), which is absolutely incorrect and medically unethical.

So, let me explain that. The DNI, which stands for do not intubate, means that a patient may opt out of intubation and mechanical ventilation if they wanted to, but that doesn’t rule out the DNR, which is a do not resuscitate. The two are somewhat related but are also very different.

Worst of all, the expert claimed that the doctor can place a DNR unilaterally without consent, without a witness, without a signature, and without informing the family, no bracelet, no notification, nothing. This is a chilling precedent. If this verdict stands, then informed consent in hospitals is dead. Families are no longer part of the decision-making process, and doctors can make life-ending decisions without your knowledge or approval.