Bobbi Kristina Brown given a tracheotomy as family hope for her recovery

Bobbi Kristina Brown has been given a tracheotomy, it has been reported.

The 21-year-old remains in a critical condition at an Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, almost a month after she was found unresponsive in the bath tub of her Georgia home.

The surgical procedure opens an airway into the trachea through the neck.

A source believed to be close to the Brown family told People magazine: "The tracheotomy is a different place for the tube to go. Everything else remains the same. It's a waiting game. The family is hoping and waiting."

"She is still critical and we don't know what the outcome will be. No one is giving up on this kid."

While her family are said to be coming to terms with the possibility that she may not regain brain function, according to TMZ her father Bobby Brown is not ready to give up on his daughter and is refusing to give consent for her to be taken off her life support machine.

Meanwhile, the 21-year-old's father Bobby Brown has asked the media to speak only with authorised members of the family about her condition and respect their privacy as she continues to fight for her life.

In a statement Bobby Brown said: "We continue to request privacy in this matter. We thank everyone that supports Bobbi Kristina and God is hearing our prayers."

Christopher Brown, a lawyer representing her father, said in a statement: "This is a criminal investigation and we do not need this side show."

Lawyers for Bobbi Kristina's boyfriend Nick Gordon have also issued a statement denying reports that Gordon was pursuing legal action to gain access to Brown was false. They said Gordon, who found his girlfriend unconscious, is concerned only with her recovery.

"He remains in constant prayer for his companion and he hopes to be reunited with her soon," lawyers Randy Kessler and Joe Habachy said.

"Despite the incredible public interest, we ask and hope that this request can be resolved privately by Mr. Gordon and the family."

While the couple had announced their engagement and were widely believed to be married, Bobby Brown revealed that they were never legally married.

Police in Roswell, Georgia have opened a criminal investigation into the matter after Bobbi Kristina was found with bruises on her body. TMZ reported that it was told by multiple sources that police are looking into a "possible altercation" more than an hour before Ms Brown was found.

There were reports of a domestic dispute weeks earlier at the family home. Four days before the incident she was also involved in a car crash.