Thursday, September 22, 2011
AD vs. Proxy
A 76 year old woman comes to the hospital after suffering a stroke. She is conscious but can’t respond. She needs a breathing tube and has a poor chance of recovery. She will need a PEG in her stomach if treatment is continued. Here advance directive says that she would only want comfort care if there is no reasonable chance of returning to normal functioning. Her family wants to continue full treatment. What should the care team do?
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She should receive comfort care because that's what her advanced directive says. It says she has a poor chance of recovery and even though her family wants full treatment it is overridden because the hospital is required to follow the AD.
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