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This was not my patient to begin with but I could not stand by and watch this person die, I knew what was happening with this patient due to covering for each other during breaks, lunch, etc so I contacted our pallative care coordinator today that is on the ethics committee along with the nurse that took care of the patient. She would be looking into the matter today and bringing it to the ethics committe ASAP and contacting the family about the patients condition. We are a med/surg oncology floor that takes patients on overflow from other floors based on availability of beds. This pt was a transfer from ICU after being taken off the vent. She was placed on a supportive care pathway and DNR status. In the notes the family was here for several days then went back home. A note was left in the chart to contact the brother after the pt expired with a card from a funeral home attached to the chart. She has no family locally or real friends that has seen here while on our floor. One doctor note was that pt was smiling, and comfortable but the doctor was following the wishes of the family. Basically to become septic and die which is what is happing at this very moment. One social workers note in ICU said that the family reported that the patient would not want to be a burden on people and this is what she would have wanted. What gets me is that nurses in ICU keeps telling us that she is brain dead, I don't know if they understand the meaning of the word. She may have some brain damage but she is not brain dead. I don't know if the family trully understood the patients condition when they expressed their wishes for the patients demise or that they just didn't want to be bothered with a family member that would require care to be possibly given on their part. I will keep you informed of the situation after tommorrow when I go back to work. Hopefully we will have a better outcome.

We have a patient on our oncology floor that was declared brain dead after being found in a pool for over 10 minutes. She had ETOH in her system well above the normal. She was in ICU for several weeks intub and family called in from out of state. Her family decided basically to let her die and with held all feedings. She was transferred to us several days ago on room air with no feeding tube with orders to start a drip if uncomfortable. Since that time she responds to you by shaking her head if we ask her certain questions. She can mover her left arm, opens her eyes tries to speak but no words come out and she gets frustrated. We made a comment to her about we wished she would not have went into the pool that night and she shaked her head yes. She is becoming septic with positive blood cultures now, hot and running at high temp. My question is it ethical to just let her die knowing that she is responding and not brain dead as we were told originally. We are all having a difficult time dealing with just letting her die. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Others on the floor indicated that they would not want to live if not total functioning. Thanks.