‘Locked-in syndrome' explained as Emily Willis left 'permanently disabled' after cardiac arrest at rehab centre
Former adult star Emily Willis was left 'permanently disabled' and suffering from 'locked-in syndrome' after an incident at a rehab centre last year.
According to her family, Willis - real name Litzy Lara Banuelos - has been unable to move her body except for her eyes after a cardiac arrest left her starved of oxygen for a long period of time.
Her family provided an update on her health in May of last year, saying she had come out of a 'vegetative coma'.
Her family wrote on a fundraiser: "Recently, Emily's world, and ours, was turned upside down when she was admitted to the hospital, marking the beginning of an incredibly tough and unforeseen battle.
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"With every ounce of her remarkable strength and bravery, Emily is fighting."
Her family recently filed a lawsuit with the Los Angeles Superior Court against Summit Malibu and its parent company Malibu Lighthouse Treatment Centers, LLC, as they have made allegations of 'abuse of a dependent adult, professional negligence, negligence and fraudulent business practices'.
The documents claim that Willis was admitted to the rehab centre on 27 January 2024 for a ketamine addiction.
However, after arriving there, the documents claim that Willis' condition worsened as she began to suffer from an increased heart rate, hot/cold chills, tremors, headaches, feeling 'disorientated', difficulty walking, and also vaginal pain.
But it was after a nurse was unable to take her blood pressure due to 'dehydration', and she was allegedly failed to be taken to hospital on 3 February that she was ‘found unconscious’.
While paramedics administered CPR for between 30 and 40 minutes until her heartbeat was restored, the lawsuit claims that Willis was without oxygen for a long time and suffered 'irreversible brain damage'.
Now, she is in a 'vegetative state' where she is conscious but cannot speak and can only move her eyes in what is known as locked-in syndrome.
What is locked-in syndrome?
As per the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, locked-in syndrome is a ‘rare disorder of the nervous system’.
Programme Lead for Medical Science at the University of Chester in the UK, Dr Gareth Nye, told the Daily Star: "What we are seeing here is the damage to the brain following a lack of oxygen after the cardiac arrest.
"It is encouraging to see that she seems to be conscious, recognises people and can track with her eyes. However, it is highly likely she is suffering from a condition called locked-in syndrome."
Those with the syndrome may experience being ‘paralyzed except for the muscles that control eye movement’ or being conscious ‘and can think and reason, but cannot move or speak; although they may be able to communicate with blinking eye movements’.
What causes locked-in syndrome?
Causes of locked-in syndrome could be due to a traumatic brain injury (TBI), any diseases of the circulatory system, diseases that destroy the myelin sheath, or a medication overdose.
There is no known treatment or cure for locked-in syndrome at present, and according to Brain and Spinal Cord, 'it is incredibly unusual for someone with locked-in syndrome to make a significant recovery of motor function, although there are a handful of documented cases.'
Treatment for locked-in syndrome helps to make the patient more comfortable, and may also provide them with eye-tracking devices so that they can communicate.
"No patient should ever be subjected to such a horrendous breakdown in clinical care. Her health was ignored until it was too late, and now her life is forever changed," the lawsuit claims.
"We hope this lawsuit will spur real change in how treatment centers handle critical cases. Too many patients who should be receiving life-saving interventions are being lost to negligence."
LADbible Group has contacted Summit Malibu for comment.
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