Christa Pike‘s botched execution attempt took a serious toll on her … with her lawyer saying she’s in bad shape in the hospital — but making it clear she’s not in a coma.

An attorney for the convicted killer tells TMZ … “Christa is critically ill but not in a coma as I understand it.” He tells us she’s still unconscious and unable communicate.

The attorney also adds Christa’s execution warrant expired at midnight … so the Tennessee Supreme Court will have to set a new date before they can try to execute her again.

Christa’s lawyer notes they can set a date independently of Tennessee Governor Bill Lee‘s pause on executions, meaning they could pick a date before the end of the year — but expects they’ll wait until the independent investigation is resolved.

As we’ve reported … witnesses at the execution watched as two syringes of lethal injection chemicals were dispensed into Christa’s body — but she was “still breathing and snoring” through it.

Officials rushed her from Riverbend Maximum Security Institution to a local hospital.

Advocacy groups have tried for weeks to stop the execution — the first instance of capital punishment involving a woman in the state since 1819 — to no avail.