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Essay Available:
Pages:
1 page/≈275 words
Sources:
2 Sources
Style:
APA
Subject:
Health, Medicine, Nursing
Type:
Case Study
Language:
English (U.S.)
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MS Word
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$ 4.32
Topic:

The Case of the Depressed Patient

Case Study Instructions:


The Case of the Depressed Patient When seriously ill patients ask to discontinue life-sustaining treatment, depression may be impairing their ability to make decisions. In this case study, a geriatrician discusses how a physician might work through the ethics of this situation. At 80, R.L. lives with his wife in a retirement community. He has always valued his independence, but recently he has been having trouble caring for himself. He is having difficulty walking and managing his medications for diabetes, heart disease, and kidney problems. His doctor diagnoses depression after noting that R.L. has lost interest in the things he used to enjoy. Lethargic and sleepless, R.L. has difficulty maintaining his weight and talks about killing himself with a loaded handgun. He agrees to try medication for the mood disorder. Two weeks later, before the effect of the medicine can be seen, R.L. is hospitalized for a heart attack. The heart is damaged so severely it can't pump enough blood to keep the kidneys working. Renal dialysis is necessary to keep R.L. alive, at least until it's clear whether the heart and kidneys will recover. This involves moving him three times a week to the dialysis unit, where needles are inserted into a large artery and a vein to connect him to a machine for three to four hours. After the second treatment, R.L. demands that dialysis be stopped and asks to be allowed to die.
You are R.L.'s physician. What should you do?

Case Study Sample Content Preview:

Discontinuing Dialysis
Name
Institution
Discontinuing Dialysis
Patients diagnosed with terminal renal failure stay alive by undergoing dialysis which replaces the functions of the kidneys. It is a life-support technique which if discontinued leads to the death of the patient. However, there are instances when patients wish to terminate this treatment for reasons such as depression, grief, anxiety, and personal and family issues (Grubbs et al., 2014). A physician confronted by such a patient faces the responsibility of respecting and supporting the patient’s wishes and ensuring that the patient is making an informed decision (Grubbs et al., 2014).
R.L. is 80 years old, living in a retirement community. He is receiving renal dialysis to keep him alive after a heart attack damaged his heart making it unable to pump enough blood for the kidneys to function normally. He was also suffering from depression. After a few treatments, he expressed his wish to discontinue dialysis and asks the physician to let him die.
In the case of R.L., the physician should do the following. Clarify his reasons for making the request (Rosenblatt, 2001). There is the likelihood that depr...
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