Withholding life prolonging treatment, and self deception

Journal of Medical Ethics

Volumn 28, Issue 6, 2002, Pages 347-352

  Sayers, G M ^a   Parera, S ^b  

^a NORTHWICK PARK HOSPITAL   (United Kingdom)

^b The Village Surgery   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ARTICLE; BRAIN INJURY; CONTROLLED STUDY; DEATH; DENIAL; DISABILITY; DISEASE SEVERITY; EUTHANASIA; GENERAL PRACTITIONER; GERIATRICS; HOSPITAL ADMISSION; HOSPITAL CARE; HUMAN; INTERVIEW; LEGAL ASPECT; LIFE; MEDICAL DECISION MAKING; MEDICAL ETHICS; MEDICAL SPECIALIST; QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS; RANDOMIZATION; RELATIVE; SELF EVALUATION; SOCIAL ASPECT; SURGICAL PATIENT; TERMINAL CARE; TERMINALLY ILL PATIENT; TREATMENT WITHDRAWAL;

DEATH AND EUTHANASIA; EMPIRICAL APPROACH;

AGED; COMMUNICATION; DECISION MAKING; GERIATRICS; HOSPITALIZATION; HUMANS; INTERPROFESSIONAL RELATIONS; LIFE SUPPORT CARE; MOTIVATION; NURSING HOMES; PHYSICIANS, FAMILY; PROFESSIONAL MISCONDUCT; PROFESSIONAL-FAMILY RELATIONS; PROFESSIONAL-PATIENT RELATIONS; REFUSAL TO TREAT; WITHHOLDING TREATMENT;

EID: 0036904010     PISSN: 03066800     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1136/jme.28.6.347     Document Type: Article

References (26)

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3. See reference 1: vii.
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5. Severe pneumonia is life threatening and is ordinarily treated in hospital with intravenous antibiotics and oxygen. Dysphagia is inability to swallow, and inadequate oral intake would result in death through dehydration or starvation. Arteriopathy, or generalised vascular disease, resulted in the loss of this patient's legs. An acute abdomen is usually due to obstruction, perforation, or (most likely in this patient) inadequate blood supply to the bowel. Without surgery, death of the patient is inevitable. A comatose patient, if untreated with nasogastric or intravenous fluids, would invariably die of dehydration. Septicaemia is a life threatening bacterial infection within the blood stream that requires treatment with intravenous antibiotics.
6. Bolam v Friern Hospital Management Committee [1957] 1 WLR 582.
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8. See reference 7: 399H.
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11. F (Mental Patient; Sterilisation) [1989] 2WLR 1025.
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14. Barnes A. Seeing through self deception. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1997: 35.
15. See reference 14: 56.
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17. See reference 7: 371A-B.
18. See reference 7: 383E.
19. See reference 7: 389F.
20. See reference 7: 379F.
21. See reference 14: 117.
22. See reference 14: 124.
23. Van Thiel GJMW, van Delden JJM, de Haan K, et al. Retrospective study of doctors' "end of life decisions" in caring for mentally handicapped people in institutions in the Netherlands. British Medical Journal 1997;315:88-91.
24. British Medical Association. Euthanasic. London: British Medical Association, 1988: 3.
25. See reference 7: 388H.
26. See reference 7: 379G.