I have a flood of memories. On a night where people are usually going out and enjoying themselves in dim bars or or under bright club lights, a family member waits outside an ICU room while their loved one is intubated.
The patient wanted everything done despite a terminal prognosis of a few days of life at most.
The family sat outside, in shock as everything sank in.
Later on the patient passed away intubated unable to tell their family they loved them.
Not many people choose comfort care because they think they're giving up. But if you're not expected to live for more than a few days, there's nothing wrong in having your air hunger treated and receiving medicine to help you be comfortable and give you the best chance to say goodbye, since it's extreme difficult and uncomfortable to communicate while on a ventilator.
What are your thoughts on brain death and the overall steps on determining it?
ReplyDeleteHi Ashley,sorry I'm just now getting back to you. The short answer is that there are a series of steps (I'm not sure of your medical background) that are standard in determining death.
DeleteI'll share an example here http://surgery.med.miami.edu/laora/clinical-operations/brain-death-diagnosis
I'll bookmark this comment so I can give you a more thought out and descriptive answer. Thanks