Document Detail


Removing the feeding tube: a procedure with a contentious past.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20156001     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
When tragic circumstances force families to focus on an individual's right to refuse treatment, society is forced to reexamine its views on life and death; these circumstances may result in legal rulings and state statutes. During media coverage of high-profile cases, reporters frequently used distinct terms like "brain dead," "persistent vegetative state," and coma interchangeably, but they are clinically different. Today, most bioethicists believe the right to refuse treatment is legally and ethically settled, but decision-making in individual circumstances often may remain less clear and emotionally charged. Even in the best situations, abatement of nutrition during the end-stage of illness continues to be difficult, often colored by religious, cultural, and racial or ethnic perspectives. Decision-making to withhold or withdraw feeding tubes for younger patients is even more difficult and raises many additional questions. Once a decision to withdraw a feeding tube is made, clinicians and the patient's loved ones need to know what to expect.
Authors:
Jeannette Y Wick; Guido R Zanni
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  The Consultant pharmacist : the journal of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists     Volume:  24     ISSN:  0888-5109     ISO Abbreviation:  Consult Pharm     Publication Date:  2009 Dec 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-02-16     Completed Date:  2010-03-09     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9013983     Medline TA:  Consult Pharm     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  874-83     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format     Download EndNote     Download BibTex
MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Brain Death
Coma
Decision Making
Enteral Nutrition*
Ethics, Medical*
Euthanasia, Passive / ethics,  psychology*
Humans
Persistent Vegetative State
Withholding Treatment / ethics

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


Previous Document:  Reducing patient harm with the use of fentanyl transdermal system.
Next Document:  A treatment algorithm for neuropathic pain: an update.