A medical expert says it was too early to pull Deanna Leblanc off of life support.
The Crown called Dr. Neil Lazar to the stand on Thursday in the case of Joanna Flynn. The Midland nurse has admitted to shutting off Leblanc’s life support without authorization, but has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death.
After reviewing Leblanc's medical charts, Lazar said, in his opinion, it was too early to make a decision about ending her life support. The doctor suggested he would have continued monitoring Leblanc's condition.
He says there was a great deal of uncertainty. The brain injury she suffered from cardiac arrest earlier that day was irreversible. He added that in his experience, patients have shown signs of neurological activity 24 to 48 hours later.
The doctor also told the court it's the physician who gives the order to end life support after consulting the family and getting their consent. He added the nurse is not part of the decision process.
The court has heard testimony that the ICU doctor was not part of the decision to end Leblanc's life support, which the Crown's expert called "unprecedented."
The doctor will be back on the stand on Friday.
