$Unique_ID{BRK00335}
$Pretitle{Community and Social Problems}
$Title{Withdrawal of Tube Feeding for Terminally Ill Patients}
$Subject{brain dead ethics}
$Volume{Q-1}
$Log{}

Copyright (c) 1991   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


Withdrawal of Tube Feeding for Terminally Ill Patients


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

QUESTION:  What are the current state regulations on the terminally ill
patients regarding the withdrawal of tube feeding?  A member of my family who
has been determined irreversibly brain damaged and has lived several years
this way.  The grief that we the family are going through is almost
unbearable.  Who can justify letting a person exist this way when there is no
hope for recovery?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ANSWER:  Since each state has different regulations concerning the trying
times your family is experiencing, it would be difficult to answer all the
implications of your question in this column.  While the concept of
irreversible damage was addressed in the President's Commission for the Study
of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical Research report published in
1981, more than 30 sets of criteria for brain death have been proposed.  Many
of them include the lack of activity (brain waves) on an electroencephalogram,
absence of reflexes on a clinical exam, and the absence of any reversible
conditions that may simulate brain death such as intoxication.  Complete
documentation of all tests and clinical findings are required, as well as a
description of all the events which led to the present condition.  While most
institutions vary in their own rules, most require that a second physician
repeat the tests and examinations for review before the institution's
bioethics committee, or submission for legal review.  Your best avenue of
appeal is through your own family physician, who can explain to you the
situation as it exists in your local hospital, and help you obtain the
assistance you apparently need.
ÿ
----------------

The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace 
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your 
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical 
problem.
