Physician Assisted Suicide Case Study

They started CPR before medics took him to Gibson General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

He was in a lot of pain, but no one helped him, and he had to just go on with it like it is nothing. He was struggling to stay alive, and he did not know if he was going to make it out or

CNA Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses (2008) provides guidance in dealing with cases like this by explaining the core nursing values and responsibilities involved which are: a) providing safe, compassionate, competent and ethical care; b) promoting health and well-being; c) promoting and respecting informed decision-making, and d) Preserving dignity; e) maintaining confidentiality, f) promoting justice and g) being accountable. The first nursing value is always expected to be upheld in any case because it is their duty to provide care using appropriate safety precautions and preventing/minimizing all forms of violence (CNA, 2008). The collaboration of the nurses between the physician and Mr. C’s family has been evident since then. This therefore calls Mr. C’s nurses to be more compassionate about his situation and try to recognize where he is coming from as they build a trust-worthy relationship before judging him or jumping into conclusions like he does not want to live anymore. Even if he decides to withdraw from these potentially life-sustaining treatments, health care providers are still obliged to give him the care he need the best way they can up until the end of his life. The second nursing value, just like the first one, still calls nurses to still aim to promote or at least maintain Mr. C’s health and well-being to the highest possible level regardless of the path he had chosen for his life. This can be achieved by continuing to collaborate well with other

He lived in despair for several days just like everyone else, and then decided to challenge both himself and the disease.He came up with a plan to extend his life, in which changes his mode of living,including work and rest, bite and dup,also all kinds of activities.He cut out wine and abandoned smoking immediately, which is horribly painful at long journey to go through. He drank only 100% vegetable

He repeatedly told his wife that he felt dizzy and that he felt as though he was going to die, but was dismissed nonchalantly. At 1AM, he eventually called his doctor and drove himself to the hospital. He was lucky that the nurse was told that he was coming and saw him collapse outside the hospital. He was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism and was unconscious for several days in the Townsville intensive care and coronary care units. He felt fortunate that the doctors were able to dissolve the blood clot without it breaking up and causing intracranial haemorrhage or other potentially catastrophic bleeding complications., He maintains that should he have ended up in a vegetative state, he would have preferred if his life support machines were turned off. He argued that patients had a right to self-determination and that the doctor’s role was to assist patients and not determine their fates. He also argued that if he had his way, he would “ask for a needle” or assisted suicide or for the doctor to turn off life-support machine, unless he could be resuscitated normally. He did not want to be hindrance to anyone. He supported his half-sister, who lived in Holland. She had requested and received euthanasia to end her battle with her terminal cancer. He argued that the right to death was tantamount to the right to life. Such unconventional views would not have permeated into his care, given that he had not completed an AHD.

He died after four weeks of treatment, succumbing to the

Terminal weaning is when mechanical ventilation is discontinued for a patient expected to die without its support (Knight & Espinosa, 2010). One of the most common methods of discontinuation is through slowly reducing the fraction of inspired oxygen (Knight & Espinosa, 2010). Terminal extubation is the removal of the endotracheal tube, and this can be done “during or after a terminal weaning process” (Knight & Espinosa, 2010, p. 527). Removal of life-supporting interventions is the cause of most deaths in critical care units (Knight & Espinosa, 2010). Knight and Espinosa (2010) discussed palliative sedation and terminal weaning in the same chapter because the two topics go together.

Personally, I see physician assisted suicide as a possibility for people who are terminally ill, or have an incurable disease to have the right to choose the time and the means of their own death. However, what role should mental health professionals assume in end-of-life decisions?

The bad thing about the situation was that medically there was nothing more that could be done for this patient. All the family could do was to sit by his bedside and wait for their loved one take his last breath, and to be at peace.

He spent more than three weeks in a coma and has permanent brain damage from his accident

Luckily he made it off the operating table alive, despite the fact that the tube had slipped too far. However, he was paralyzed on his left side and died a few weeks later.

Usually either patients or families have the legal rights to determine what medical course to take with the patient when it comes to the diagnosis of death, in this case the family's conflict needs be considered. The healthcare staff involved in the patient’s care must communicate with the family members during this difficult time. If the patient is determined to be dead, the family will need support from the health care staff that has been involved in the patients care, all available hospital resources, including medical, nursing, social work, ethics, and pastoral care will be a good resource for the family members. Lawyers will usually advise health care staff to work with the family in the most compassionate way possible, the lawyers should be there to help with any conflict between the family members, and this will also help the organization against any future malpractice suits against the health care staff and organization.

pleuritis. At the point when the agony and trouble of breathing completely left him, and his family were

He passed out unconscious for the night, after taking two bottles, waking up the next day. No knowledge of how he ended up on the living

nd unconscious in his home alone after a distress call he phoned in himself. Increase in heart rate, blood pressure and metabolism. Possible seizure. Rapid breathing, tremors and loss of coordination. Symptoms of a drug overdose; of what kind… well, it 's too much to determine. Looked like he ingested an assortment of pills and tablets. The traces of white in his nostrils implied cocaine. Needed to be pumped. This guy was lucky as hell to still be alive when we got there, I tell ya. Hopefully, he 's fortunate enough to live through this."