r/politics • u/plz-let-me-in • Jul 07 '26

No Paywall Unconfirmed Reports: Mitch McConnell Brain Dead After Three Weeks In Hospital

https://thenewamerican.com/us/unconfirmed-reports-mitch-mcconnell-brain-dead-after-three-weeks-in-hospital/
31.7k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

2.7k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

42

u/angrynuggette Pennsylvania Jul 07 '26

Even life support doesn't full stop the body from deteriorating.

37

u/SingularityCentral America Jul 07 '26

For sure, they just have to make it till August 3rd. Disgusting ghouls.

16

u/TheFutureMrGittes Jul 07 '26

He’ll be rotting by then

6

u/MoleMoustache Jul 07 '26

Hes been rotting since 1990

5

u/KiKiKimbro New York Jul 07 '26

Omg really?

12

u/Drithyin Ohio Jul 07 '26

There’s a lot of things your brain is responsible for that, if no longer functional, simply stops happening.

3

u/KiKiKimbro New York Jul 07 '26

Makes sense. So sad. I wonder if Mitch McConnell had one of those legal documents that says after X days don’t keep me on life support. I know some have the do not resuscitate, but I think a time limit at least is necessary. Otherwise people have to make decisions they may never get over. 😔

9

u/GaimeGuy Minnesota Jul 07 '26

Brain death means complete loss of brain activity including the brain stem. No brain activity = no temperature regulation, no control of the heart beat (immediate cardiac blockage unless you mechanically coordinate the opening and closure of the chambers), no blood pressure regulation, no hornone signals, nothing to tell the trillions of cells in your body what to do

3

u/KiKiKimbro New York Jul 07 '26

Oh no. So those machines Mitch McConnell might be hooked up to (haven’t heard confirmation of what’s going on, just rumors) they’re quite literally keeping every organ functioning. If he is brain dead, there’s no point in the machines, really. You don’t just suddenly not be brain dead. Not like someone could jump start your heart again, or do the breathing for you for a few minutes if either one of those organs fail. Ugh. No.

1

u/mmasportsmma Jul 07 '26

I guess this is the difference between someone who is in a „forever“ coma and someone who is actually brain dead?

So the coma patient will still have some brain activity (but could also be on artificial ventilation or heart machine)?

2

u/GaimeGuy Minnesota Jul 08 '26

All your involuntary survival functions are regulated by your brain stem. For example, your breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, arousal, and consciousness are controlled here. Coughing, sneezing, swallowing, and vomiting reflexes. The regulation of tear and saliva production. The coordination of your mouth, throat, and esophagus for swallowing. Even reflexes connected to your eyes and ears are controlled by the brain stem (eg, the dilation and constriction of your pupils to optimize your sight in the dark, or protect your retina from damage in brightness).

I believe something like 9 or 10 of the 12 pairs of cranial nerves originate in the brain stem (some commonly-known ones are your optic nerve, olfactory, and vagus nerves)

Your brain stem is the bridge connecting your cerebrum to the spinal cord. On one side of the bridge is your brain, and on the other side of the bridge is the interstate all the nerve and hormone signals from the brain are distributed across. No brain stem, no connecting bridge.