Bobbi Kristina's breathing tube removed; tracheotomy performed

ATLANTA, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Doctors removed Bobbi Kristina Brown's breathing tube and performed a tracheotomy to take over the task of helping her breathe, her family said.

Brown, 21, has been hospitalized since she was discovered unresponsive in a bathtub January 31.

Her family has remained hopeful her condition will improve and has made no indication they plan to take her off life support.

The removal of her breathing tube is considered a standard procedure that reduces the risk of infection, Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN said.

"You can't leave a breathing tube in long-term because it's an infection risk and can erode through the trachea," Internist Dr. Levi Benson told People. "[The patient's] condition is the same; a tracheostomy [allows for] another type of breathing tube."

"She is still critical," a family source told the magazine. "We don't know what the outcome will be. No one is giving up on this kid."

Brown is the daughter of singers Bobby Brown and the late Whitney Houston.