Nutritional and Ethical Issues at the End of Life

Believe preservation of life at all costs is not obligatory
ANH is not mandatory to keep patients alive

Believe prolongation of life is supreme goal
ANH cannot be forgone even if there is no hope of recovery

Believe sanctity of life is the primary value
food and water are ordinary care
ANH is obligatory if it can extend life

Believe life sustaining therapies can be withheld/withdrawn if there is no hope of recovery

Believe sanctity of life is the primary value
administering ANH is morally obligatory

Value and dignity of human life is paramount
Hastening of death is not permitted; active withdrawal of interventions may be seen as morally problematic than passive withholding

What can be done (technology) vs. what should be done (ethics) vs. what must be done (law)

Individual's right to self-determination as expressed in health care decision making. It is the predominant value in American bioethics law

The fundamental obligation of health care professionals to seek the good of the patient above all other priorities

"to do no harm," the prime directive of medicine to prevent, minimize, and relieve needless suffering and pain

Fairness requires specialized nutrition support professionals to equitably treat similar patients similar and considers only clinical relevancy

Thought that most discomfort is due to ____ ____

Patient who remains in a vegetative state for >1 month

Patient who remains unconscious for >3 months if NON-trauma cause or >1 year if trauma is the cause are deemed in a