Discontinuing Feeding Tubes...

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Apr 1, 2005

Hi,

I havent heard of the story is there a webb page where I can read all about it. The thread doesn't go in to details it is only opinions. Then i can hopefully reply.

Silverdragon102, BSN · Apr 1, 2005

Hi,
I havent heard of the story is there a webb page where I can read all about it. The thread doesn't go in to details it is only opinions. Then i can hopefully reply.

kay this has really been big over in the states, I have seen it a bit on the news over here. Basically 15 yrs in ? vegative state, husband now in relationship with someone else and has children. He says his wife didn't want to live like this, she left no living will, her parents contested this Basically peg removed also IV therapy discontinued and patient died but not after a lot of discussion and travelling backwards and forwards to court. link http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/03/31/schiavo.family.feud/index.html

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Apr 1, 2005

Hi,

Thanks Anna for that link, cant believe the poor woman was kept alive for 15 years, did she have any quality of life? I can't play the video to see for myself.

I have looked after patients who have 'locked in syndrome', and prior to looking after them i would have believed that these patients would have been better ff dead, but how hind site is a great thing, I now have revised my opinion. Except where I am concerned, I still believe that i wouldn't want to be trapped but hey that is another story. :uhoh3:

In answer to your questions, there is something similar going on in the city where I live Portsmouth, UK. It is concerning a baby who was born premature and has lots of on going problems, the little girl is now around 10 months old, and has never lived outside of an incubator, the NICU staff believe shouldn't be resusitated any more, but the parents believe she should be. This is going back and forth to court at the moment.

unikaz · Apr 2, 2005

i think a similar situation has already occured in the Uk with Tony Bland injured in the Hillsborough disaster. His feeding tube was also discontinued and he died after nine days. Dont have a really strong opinion of it, her husband was her next of kin and he knew her better than us.

karen

letina · Apr 2, 2005

i think a similar situation has already occured in the Uk with Tony Bland injured in the Hillsborough disaster. His feeding tube was also discontinued and he died after nine days. Dont have a really strong opinion of it, her husband was her next of kin and he knew her better than us.
karen

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/19/newsid_2520000/2520581.stm

nad · Apr 21, 2005

There's A Bill In The Process Of Going Through Parliment In Uk That Will Deal With These Circumstances But Is Still A Very Touchy Subject Over Here Called Living Will It Will Give A Designated Person The Wright To Say The Kind Of Medical Treatment A Person Recieves If They Unable To Convey This Themselves

PamUK · Apr 21, 2005

Nad, the way I understand your comments is that the new bill will allow people to designate another person to make decisions and consent to treatment for them, if they become incompetent... is that what you mean?

If so, I am not sure you are totally right in your understanding of this new bill. The law already prevents others making decisons for an incompetent person. The only person who can make those final decisons are the doctor in charge of the patients care, and of course the law courts. And to overturn that law would be a monumental task and I very much doubt it will never happen.

My understanding is that the bill is about making living wills legal through statutory law, rather than the current situation of case law. And people cannot say in a living will what treatment they want, they can only refuse treatment. So they can say " I do not want to be rescusitated" but they cannot say "I want to be resucitated" All this is very simplistic, but the general priciples are there.

Personally, I dont think we need another law. Living Wills are already legal documents through Case Law

Owen · May 2, 2005

Biznurse wanted our opinions but in typing "husband" has already given hers. Heres my 2cents worth, the law in the UK and the US are pretty straight forward and if the medic team with or without the next of kin's consent can, upon justification, provide a do not resusitate order. When a patient is veg or comatose its a different kettle of fish to actually remove life sustaining intervention. Now this is what gets me about these fanatical pro life christians (by the way I'm Catholic), they argue only God has the right the remove life, but here's the thing if no medical intervention was provded to terri upon her crash she would have died anyway. Putting a plastic tube into her stomach to sustain her meanless life is not a Godly thing. Remove the man made intervention and God does His bit, He takes Terri out of her suffering, a very christian move.