On September 16, ABC News in Oakland, California reported on a hospital’s threat to remove breathing support from six-month-old Kingston Holmes. The infant needed a ventilator due to a brain injury following a cardiac arrest at home. The first thing I ask when I read a story like that is when did the cardiac arrest […]
It’s become fairly clear over the past few years that two trends in medicine are in conflict, albeit mostly under the radar. On one hand, several promising research and clinical developments have given reason to be cautiously optimistic about the recovery potential of at least some people with significant brain damage, and has led to […]
Today ( Feb. 21, 2012) in the Maryland legislature, the House Health and Government Operations Committee held a hearing on HB 449, a bill to grant health care surrogates the power to donate “non-vital” organs (a kidney or lobe of a liver) of a person diagnosed to be in a persistent vegetative state (PVS). I […]
This past week, news sources in Europe and the US have been telling the story of Richard Rudd, who was left with spinal cord injuries and in an apparent coma after a motorcycle accident. As medical staff and family prepared to disconnect Mr. Rudd’s ventilator, a final examination by one of his physicians held open […]
A couple of people have contacted me to point out the Eluana Englaro tragedy in Italy – a tragedy that has played out over the past few weeks. Englaro, who died yesterday, was at a center of a life-and-death dispute that involved her father, the Italian courts, Italian legislators, Italy’s president and prime minister, and […]
Last week, my email and blog alerts let me know about a “new” article on research into consciousness. Wesley Smith posted his entry on an article describing the activity of researchers in the UK seeking to reduce the 40% error rate in diagnosis of persistent vegetative state. Alex Schandenberg also featured the article and commented […]
Last week, this blog briefly covered the news regarding the new statement from the Vatican clarifying the Church’s position on the obligation to provide food and water by artificial means in countries with advanced technology and resources. In the entry on the AJOB Bioethics Blog, Kelly Hills expresses these concerns: The clarification becomes important because […]
Last week, the news broke that the Vatican issued a ruling that “clarified” the Catholic Church’s position on artificial nutrition and hydration in regard to individuals diagnosed as being in a vegetative state. There will be more on this blog about this next week – mostly about some of the “the sky is falling” comments […]
Last week, during the national ADAPT Action here in Chicago, several people forwarded one of those stories that brought to mind Yogi Berra’s “This is like deja vu all over again.” The story that provoked this “I’ve seen this before” feeling was about Jill Finley, who came out of a coma – 14 days after […]
