Confusion after jaw surgery leaves med student in a vegetative state

• Larissa Moraes was left in a vegetative state after undergoing jaw surgery in March 2023 in the southeastern Brazilian city of Juiz de Fora
• The 31-year-old went into cardiac arrest moments after the operation was completed at Santa Casa de Misericórdia and was hospitalized for one year
• Her family said they have spent $52,000 for nurses to care for Moraes since she was discharged last month

Brazilian parents are still searching for answers a year after their daughter underwent a jaw operation and was left in a vegetative state.

Larissa Moraes had dreams of becoming a doctor, but those dreams were dashed on March 16, 2023 when underwent orthognathic surgery, which involves correcting the positioning of the upper jaw and lower jaw.

The 31-year-old had the operation based on the recommendation made by dentists who had treated her since she was a child, her father, Ricardo Moraes, told G1 news outlet.

She spoke with her medical school professors and did research on surgeons before she decided to have the surgery at Santa Casa de Misericórdia in the southeastern city of Juiz de Fora.

Ricardo Moraes said she came out the surgery not feeling well and went into cardiac arrest.

Larissa Moraes’ dreams of becoming a doctor were dashed in March 2023 when she underwent jaw surgery and went into cardiac arrest

Larissa Moraes’ dentists recommended that she have an orthognathic surgery, which requires  correcting the positioning of the upper jaw and lower jaw

He recalled watching helplessly as Larissa Moraes was taken out of the operating room and to another her room.

‘Her eye was turned, but I thought it was normal, due to the surgery,’ Ricardo Moraes said. ‘I walked ahead, so I could open the bedroom door for them to come in, but I couldn’t go in because they asked me to stay outside.’

He saw other medical staff walking into the room and decided to seek an update on Larissa Moraes’ condition when he noticed one of the physicians massaging her heart.

‘Then the nurse came to reassure me that she was fine, her heartbeat had already returned,’ he said.

Larissa Moraes remained under watch in the intensive care unit for a month after she developed pneumonia and a urinary infection.

She remained in her hospital room until March, when she was finally sent home.

The family has so far spent $52,000 to ensure that she that nurses observe her around the clock.

‘We have nurses 24 hours a day, she needs to undergo physiotherapy and speech therapy every day, she is fed and medicated through a tube,’ Ricardo Moraes said. ‘She also does not have control over her physiological needs and needs to wear a diaper.’

The Minas Gerais Public Ministry opened an investigation in September 2023 after the Civil Police collected statements from the parties involved, including the surgeon and the anesthetist.

Larissa Moraes received her degree in pharmacy from Juiz de Fora Federal University at the age of 26 and was in the beginning stages of medical school at Rio de Janeiro State University prior to the surgery

The parents of Larissa Moraes have spent $52,000 since March to make sure that nurses watch over her 24 hours a day

The parents of Larissa Moraes hired private investigators who found that ‘failures were evident at different points in the hospital medical care provided, from anesthetic monitoring to post-CA (cardiorespiratory arrest) care, which contributed to the neurological outcome observed’

Larissa Moraes’ parents attempted to schedule meetings with the staff at Santa Casa de Misericórdia and were repeatedly rebuffed.

‘I tried to schedule a meeting with the hospital to understand what happened, they canceled and rescheduled. I asked for camera images to find out what had happened, but they didn’t give it to me’, Ricardo Moraes said.

The family grew tired of being stonewalled by the medical facility and hired two private medical experts, who found that it was hard to determine if the surgical team had followed all of the necessary steps to carry out the jaw operation.

The investigative report found that ‘failures were evident at different points in the hospital medical care provided, from anesthetic monitoring to post-CA (cardiorespiratory arrest) care, which contributed to the neurological outcome observed’.

Ricardo Moraes recalled Larissa Mores growing up as being dependent and ‘doing everything in her own way, not in a disobedient way, but she knew how to convince us to do everything she wanted.’

Now he and his wife are tasked with making sure that her needs are taken care of.

Larissa Moraes received her pharmacy degree from the Juiz de Fora Federal University and was in the beginning stage of medical school at Rio de Janeiro State University prior to the uneventful surgery.

‘She really liked research, learning a lot of new things,’ Ricardo Moraes said. ‘So she always said that she was interested in something new that she was studying.’

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