Dad Fights Hospital to Keep Baby on Life Support

I know it is very hard to see such a young person die. I personally am not in favor of futile life saving events. What I am in favor of is quality of life. There is just so much I want to say about this case, but I wont.

which might be why the system is in the state it is in?

Annmariern: I understand what you are saying. However, I disagree. I know plenty of people that want everything done to save thier lives including vents, drips, etc. Who are we to tell them that they cant have it because we consider it torture? I know that most health care staff feel the same way you do, but I dont think it is up to you or them or me. It should be up to the patient and if they cant speak for themselves, then the people that know them, like family.
P.S. even if a DNR is signed , it means do nothing AFTER they stop breathing not before! A lot of health care professionals dont understand that.

You have not taken care of anyone who has been brain dead for years...that's absolutely impossible. You may have taken care of someone in a persistent vegetative state or someone in a comatose state but they were not brain dead. Brain death is irreversible..it means the person is dead. Machines and medicines may keep the heart beating and respirations going for days or weeks after brain death but not for years.

Bronx: relax, its a figure of speech, you dont actually pull the plug out of the wall either!

Please, be respectful of each other, even when (especially when) you disagree.

End of life decisions involve much emotion. Your experience may differ greatly from someone else's. There are no easy answers.

Discussions in a virtual arena can be helpful in that they can nudge us to think about what we want in our own lives and in the lives of those we love. But they can also spiral out of control and create animosity where there doesn't need to be any.

Please, keep your posts courteous and kind. Share what you know without attacking others. Look for common ground. A good place to start is that I think we can all feel a sense of caring for this child and his family as they struggle to decide his future.

[quote=izeofblu1973;3951739]Annmariern: I understand what you are saying. However, I disagree. I know plenty of people that want everything done to save thier lives including vents, drips, etc. Who are we to tell them that they cant have it because we consider it torture? I know that most health care staff feel the same way you do, but I dont think it is up to you or them or me. It should be up to the patient and if they cant speak for themselves, then the people that know them, like family.
P.S. even if a DNR is signed , it means do nothing AFTER they stop breathing not before! A lot of health care professionals dont understand that."

Well, but I have to strongly disagree; no-one wants to let a loved one die, but good god we all will. Just because someone wants it doesn't mean its a good idea. The system is being bled dry by such cases, I had a pt who exceeded her medicare benefits at $1 million; vent, pacemaker, unresponsive and basically rotting away; her daughter just couldn't let go. How many people could have benefited from that sum? How many paps, mammograms, PSAs could have been covered? This lady was to all intents and purposes dead, but because of the wishes of an emotionally disturbed daughter, she was keep breathing via machines and it was hell to basically prolong this misery.

My belief is that it should be up to the individual or if they are unable to speak then the family (especially children). I dont think our personal opinions matter. Our personal opinions should be left at the door when entering the hospital.

AnnMAriern: do you think that the person that was unresponsive was in "misery" as you say?
I treat my patients and never even look to see if they have health insurance, Medicaid, or no insurance. I dont care! They should get the same treatment as everyone else. If they are multi millionaires and can pay cash for years of vents or if Medicaid is paying, I DONT CARE! I dont think that we should be giving care or withholding care based on ability to pay.

was it his misery or yours? since you said it was hell to care for him when there was no hope and he was eating up taxpayers money.