The case study I have decided to research and report pertains to case study 6-2 of our textbook. This case regards the 12 year old girl that is mature, informed and is choosing to refuse a cardiac transplant. This is the case that has greatly captured my attention this semester. This is an interesting case, principles clash and the circumstances are unique. The transplant surgeon, Dr. Hamid, wants the 12-year-old Emma Ogden, to opt for a heart transplant in order to save her life. Emma suffered from a congenital heart defect that had led her to be operated over forty times in her life. However, before the exploration of this case and the final decision, some background information is necessary.
Furthermore, Emma was a brilliant student; she
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she had done her fair share of research on her condition. She understood completely what her procedure could have done for her. She had already experienced over forty operations. She was tired of all the surgeries and decided to refuse the heart transplant. Emma was completely aware that the procedure would only prolong life for a short period of time. Certain death awaited Emma. Her parents agreed with Emma after she discussed her decision with them. Nonetheless, Dr. Hamid wished to perform the heart transplant to extend Emma’s life. Dr. Hamid had never witnessed such a young patient decline the procedure. He was more accustomed to an elderly person that lived a long life to decline this procedure. He was acting on the principle of beneficence, that is, he wishes to only do good for the patient. His intentions were not to harm her; he merely wanted to save her life. Admirable is the man that wishes to aid those in need. However, Emma does not need further …show more content…
Turmoil is eventually present in the life of a human being. The person experiencing the ordeal has feelings that should be considered and never ignored. There are a wide variety of contexts that need to be observed. Her parents could overrule her decision, give consent to doctor Hamid to proceed with the heart transplant. However, she was exhausted of all the surgical procedures. She merely wanted to end all the suffering, she was fully aware of the result that is to come. She was not acting on a whim; she was informed and had realized she did not want the procedure. Emma’s autonomy should be respected, as she had proven to be significantly competent. Life is immensely sacred, however death holds the same importance. Emma had the support of her parents. Dr. Hamid was evidently only trying to do what he believed was best. However, he was disregarding what Emma wants. During a special situation like this one, it is very easy to focus on what could be done that one forgets to consider should to be done. Dr. Hamid should have taken Emma’s feelings into consideration and respected the highly intelligent 12-year-old child that Emma
Wanglie Would have desired, there was no reason to doubt her family on that point, but whether the continuation of ventilator support and gastrostomy feeding were among the reasonable medical alternatives that should have been available to Mrs. Wanglie or her surrogate decision maker, whoever that might be. The question, really, was whether the provision of this kind of treatment in this kind of case was outside the limits of medicine and, thus, beyond her power of choice. Mrs. Wanglie’s healthcare providers should have argued that medical practice simply did not include providing ventilator and gastrostomy feeding under circumstances of this case, and that not surrogate decision maker should be able to choose this option”
Management of Care Case Study Josepha is working on a medical surgical unit with three other RNs and one LPN. There is also a male and a female patient care tech. Josepha has been a nurse for four months, and after completing two months of orientation she takes a full assignment as a registered nurse. Josepha feels that the assignments she receives are not always fair, as she tends to get the most challenging clients.
This essay discusses the unfortunate death of a Mexican teenager in 2003 by the name of Jesica Santillan. Jesica Santillan was a 17-year-old who mistakenly died after she received incompatible organs in the course of a transplant surgery at the Duke University Hospital (Burns, Bradley, Langan & Weiner, 2011). Many questioned how one of the nation’s top medical centers could make such a fatal mistake as given a donor a mismatched blood type of organs. Jesica parents smuggled her in from Mexico hoping to find a cure for a heart and lung disorder that otherwise was not able to be treated in her country. Settling in a small trailer in North Carolina, the family captured the attention of a local builder, who started a charity in respect of Jesica.
The thesis of this chapter states that in certain situations, it is crucial to listen to a medical professional, however, in others, it is very important to listen to yourself and also to do what you feel is right. The author of Complications," Atul Gawane, has written this specific chapter to persuade the reader of his thesis. If the choice you make is incorrect, then it could potentially be a matter of life and death. Atul Gawande gives multiple examples of patients that have made wrong and right decisions to prove his point. He uses the personal anecdotes of four different people, with four decisions to prove his point.
I watched her endure such pain and witnessed the doctors give her such strong doses of medicine that made my grandma very unlike her usual vibrant self. All she prayed for was to peacefully pass. Why couldn’t we grant her that one last wish? C) Preview: “Death with Dignity” should be legalized as an option for terminally-ill patients because it alleviates the suffering one must endure, it’s freedom of choice, and it would prevent inhumane ways of suicides. (Transition: So let’s take a closer look on why there is such a need for “Death with Dignity.”
When she says “Did we really believe that we had the right to force ‘life’ on a suffering man who had begged for the right to die” she is indirectly stating the justice of her act and that she had done nothing wrong. By neglecting to push the button and calling a “code blue”, she brought peace upon a man that was suffering.
She understands the signs of someone in distress and can address those problems well. In my experience, Emma is kind and compassionate even with matters that do not involve her. Situations may be difficult to handle, but Emma has the perseverance to handle the job
Josie’s death shouldn’t have happened, and would’ve probably been avoided if someone took the time to truly listen to her mother’s concerns. Reading Josie’s story opened my eyes to the dire need of communication between the medical team and patients and/or family members. Sorrel, Josie’s mother, tried numerous times to alert the medical team of the changes observed in her daughter, yet no one listened. She highlights the severe breakdown in communication and the necessary steps needed to rectify our medical
She was passionate about listening and healing, admirable qualities. Throughout the book, we are guided on a journey through her daily struggles and accomplishments, as not only a nurse, but as a mom and a friend. I really appreciated, in reading Intensive Care, that it not only had elements of medicine, but also Echo’s personal life challenges. She was raising a son by herself and was swamped with the demanding student responsibilities. Any high-schooler can relate to this struggle of maintaining a balance with so many conflicting activities.
In the United States alone, 19 people die every day waiting on an organ transplant that could have saved their lives. The only solution to this problem is getting more drivers registered as organ donors. It has been proposed that the states automatically register their drivers as donors and it is up to the drivers to go through the procedure of opting out if that is what they wish. I agree with this proposal because you still have the freedom to make your choice but most people would not want to go through the process of opting out, so the number of organ donors would be greatly increased.
After reading this case I was terribly shocked about the fact that something like this could happen in our medical history. I couldn’t believe how a patient could be neglected so much. Based on the material that we have learned the lack of ethical theory of deontology in Dr. Evan was disturbing. As a doctor Dr. Evan’s role is to care for patients, keep them away from harm and prolong their life. Though in the trial he stated as if he didn’t care.
Wednesday, October 22 Reading Response 2 “Living Will” by Danielle Ofri is about an author who is a doctor who came across a patient that is suicidal. “They All Just Went Away” by Joyce Carol Oates is about a young lonely girl who finds herself attracted in entering abandoned house and is entranced by other peoples lives and what they left by. Although these stories are very different, I believe both the authors share a similar idea, but different outlooks, of how the main characters in each essay struggle to do the right thing. “Living Will” gives us a better perspective of what doctors today have to face with their jobs. The author, Danielle Ofri, came across a severely ill patient, Wilburn Reston, which really makes her think.
The doctors failed to use a properly consenting patient, neglected Charlie’s emotional state, and failed to conduct proper research. If Charlie had a caretaker who could give consent on his behalf, similar to a minor, an operation of this sort could be ethical. Moreover, it could be ethical if the doctors’ research and further develop their theory before using a human test subject, and pay close attention to Charlie’s emotional and mental health. However, Charlie’s operation was performed without these precautions and guidelines, and he suffers greatly in the
Atul Gawande in his article “Whose body is it, anyway?” introduced couple of cases, which discussed a controversial topic, doctors dealing with patients and making important medical decisions. These are difficult decisions in which people might have life or death choices. Who should make the important decisions, patients or doctors? Patients don’t usually know what is better for their health and while making their decisions, they might ignore or don’t know the possible side effects and consequences of these decisions.
1. What was the ethical dilemma that John Q faced in this movie? John Q a factory worker faces one of the worst parental situations. His son is going to die if he does not get a heart transplant as soon as possible. Once a man that tightens tightly to morality is now on the edge of what it seems ethical and unethical.