'Talk and Die Syndrome' Likely Cause of Natasha Richardson Death

‘Talk and die patients’ describes a small number of patients who present with a mild head injury (Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] 13–15) and then subsequently deteriorate and die from intracranial causes.

Talk & Die Syndrome: Traumatology. A clinical presentation in acceleration-deceleration brain injury, which may cause massive cerebral edema, that may have a latency period–eg, 48-72 hrs, until death. Cf Subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Natasha Richardson was reported to be "fine at first" after she hit her head in a skiing accident, but the 45-year-old actress' health began to deteriorate within an hour.

Now sources close to the Tony award-winning actress say she is brain dead and being flown back to New York, where she will be taken off life support.

“I can only speculate, but it sounds like something we call the ‘talk and die’ syndrome,” said Dr. Steven Flanagan, director of Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at New York University’s Langone Medical Center.

“What this implies is that someone hits their head and they are seemingly OK initially," he told FOXNews.com. "But then they get a rapid collection of blood — usually called epidural hemorrhage — and that means bleeding between the skull and the brain.”

Unconfirmed rumors had suggested that she had died, although these were quickly withdrawn. Reports, said to be confirmed have Richardson being flown to New York so friends and family to say goodbye when they switch off life support.

More details have been revealed about the accident. Richardson wasn’t incapacitated by the accident immediately, and was feeling fine for nearly an hour after falling during a private skiing lesson. Richardson was said to be on a beginners run, and was not wearing a ski helmet. She was also with her two sons at the time.

Around an hour later she collapsed, and only then was it discovered that she’d suffered major head trauma.

While most sites are saying Richardson is brain dead, TMZ is denying the reports, saying she was being transferred to a New York City hospital to be treated for swelling of the brain.