Editor's note: Five days after Tennessee's failed execution of Christa Pike, attorneys say she has regained consciousness and is holding conversations. See the latest here: Christa Pike is conscious and speaking after Tennessee failed execution, her attorneys say
While Pike was unconscious, medical experts said what came next would have largely depended on the condition of her brain.
Dr. Mark Courtney, an emergency medicine physician not involved in the case, said that while Pike remained unconscious, there would have been three possible outcomes:
- Regain consciousness
- Be declared brain dead
- Remain in a persistent vegetative state
Courtney believes problems with Pike's IV may have prevented the state's execution protocol from working as intended.
While some of the pentobarbital likely affected her brain, he suspects much of the drug entered the muscle and tissue in her arms rather than her bloodstream.
"The key question is whether she is brain dead," Courtney said, noting that doctors can determine that through tests that measure brain wave and brain stem activity.
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Courtney believes enough time has passed that the drug could be out of her system, allowing doctors to conduct more definitive neurological testing.
Legal experts say she could challenge the state under the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Had she not recovered, there may have been questions over who had the authority to make decisions about life support.
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Pike has designated someone to serve as her medical power of attorney, and that person has, so far, kept details about her condition private.
This story was originally published by Nick Beres with the Scripps News Group in Nashville.
