List of the Most Important Advantages and Disadvantages of Life Support

The Terri Schiavo case is probably one of the longest legal battles involving prolonged life support. She died of complete cardiac arrest in her home on February 25, 1990. The lack of oxygen caused severe brain damage, putting her in a coma. She was declared in a vegetative condition after two and a half months. Terri Schiavo's husband, Michael Schiavo, petitioned the Sixth Circuit Court of Florida (Pinellas County) to have her feeding tube removed two years after her diagnosis was revised. Her parents were adamant, and a protracted legal struggle began.

There were numerous appeals, motions, and petitions filed between 1992 and 2005, including litigation in federal district court and 14 rejections of certiorari from the United States Supreme Court. Terri's case was even taken to a federal court after a federal law, the Palm Sunday Compromise, was passed. The original appeal to remove the feeding tube was finally upheld and carried out on March 18, 2005. Terri died 13 days later.

Because the appeals, motions, and petitions were fought between the husband and his parents, any links that bind them together are likely to have been severed. Terry was in the hospital the entire time, completely unaware of what was going on. Terry's husband believed she would not want to live in a "permanent vegetative state," in which the brain is only partially active. This is why he chose to stop receiving life support. Terry's parents, on the other hand, argued that she was still conscious and that they were likely holding out hope that she would awaken.

In a debate over life support, misery and suffering are a common denominator no matter how you look at it. Even the patient is most likely to be in pain. This is why the patient's family and relatives should weigh the benefits and drawbacks of life support before deciding whether or not it should be used.

Pros and Cons of Life Support

1HOW KNOWING AND PERFORMING CPR CAN INCREASE YOUR SURVIVAL CHANCES

Cardiac arrest can strike when you least expect it. In fact, 88 percent of cardiac arrests occur in the privacy of a person's own home. What happens in the moments that follow can have a big impact on a person's chances of surviving.

Despite this, most persons who have a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital will not be given CPR. In fact, around 70% of Americans do not have appropriate CPR training.

Why is CPR so important in these circumstances?

The chances of survival are increased, if not tripled, if CPR is administered quickly after cardiac arrest. How does it work so well? To begin, you must comprehend what occurs during cardiac arrest.

Cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack, though cardiac arrest can result from a heart attack. A person with no prior heart problems, on the other hand, can suffer cardiac arrest.

Cardiac arrest is the sudden cessation of heart function caused by a faulty electrical system in the heart. The heart starts to beat irregularly or stops completely, resulting in a lack of blood supply to the body's organs.

The human body can go for about 30 minutes without blood circulation from the heart down before major damage occurs. The brain, on the other hand, can only survive for a few minutes without blood and oxygen. A person can keep a victim's blood flowing until paramedics arrive by practising CPR, greatly increasing the chances of survival.

CPR entails squeezing the chest, causing blood to continue to flow throughout the body. While this may not be enough to restore the heart to normal function, it will keep the body alive until paramedics arrive.

2. Comply with the wishes of a patient.

Some persons who have written for a living will usually voice their desire to be permitted to fight their sickness for every minute of it, regardless of the agony and suffering they experience. Even when a patient makes a comparable request verbally, it is the surrogate's responsibility to carry out the patient's wishes. After all, it's in their best interests. The main disadvantage of this circumstance is that determining when enough is enough will be tough. When is it OK to cut the cord? Consider the case of Elaine Esposito, who died after an appendectomy and never awoke. She had been on life support for nearly 36 years, but she recently died.

Finally, he passed away. For everyone involved, this has been a lengthy period of waiting and fighting.

A discussion about life support is only essential when a family member has a DNR in place. Even then, it would be tough to follow a loved one's wish. If a person fails to express his wishes in advance, loved ones will have to investigate the patient's overall attitude toward life support.

3. Allow families to cope with the loss of a loved one.

Surrogates are usually motivated to begin life-sustaining therapy by the hope that a patient may recover. They will go through many phases of sorrow before truly accepting the fact that a loved one has little to no chance of living. They will reach a point where they will have no choice but to let go, and death will be the only logical option for them and the patient. Making the decision to unplug the equipment would be easier at this point. They would still be saddened by the loss, but they would have no regrets given the amount of time they have given for healing.

They wouldn't have to waste time pondering hypothetical scenarios.

4. Donation of organs

Although the situation of a 6-month-old baby on life support in Florida is tragic and devastating, especially for the parents, there is a silver lining in the midst of the pain and shock. This is because Owen Skodje's misfortune may be the misfortune of another youngster. According to his parents, he will use his physical shell to assist others in healing and give them the gift of life.

The greatest good component of life support is certainly organ donation. Despite their pain and loss of a loved one, surrogates have the opportunity to help others. Thousands of individuals are waiting for organ donors, and patients on life-supporting medicines may be their only hope for a new start. While not every person on life support will become an organ donor, increasing the number of organs donated each year is a blessing. Patients who are maintained alive until they are ready to give their organs will undoubtedly benefit a large number of people.

List of Life Support Drawbacks

1.Hazardous side effects.

There are a variety of life support treatments available to assist a patient live longer. Medical gadgets are available to assist breathing, deliver food and water, and administer drugs. However, they all have pros and cons. They can sometimes help one condition while exacerbating another.

Tubes used in artificial nourishment and hydration, for example, can harm the oesophagus, stomach, intestine, and even erode the lining of the nose canal. When surgery is required to place the tubes, there is a considerable risk of bleeding or infection. Fluid spills from intravenous lines onto the skin, which can cause inflammation and infection. When TPN enters the bloodstream, overly fragile individuals are at risk of fluid overload, which can lead to respiratory difficulties and deadly infections.

Patients getting artificial nutrition and hydration through NG or G-Tube may have cramps, diarrhoea, and stomach bloating. Worse, because patients are brain dead and unable to report any discomfort or illness, their condition could deteriorate if health care providers do not pay close attention to them.

While a patient is utilising a ventilator, however, it is beneficial. Side effects are more likely to appear after it has been discontinued, especially if sedatives have been taken. When a ventilator is turned off, it can cause a drop in blood pressure, an irregular pulse, weaker muscles, blown eardrums, dental issues, and serious respiratory problems.

2.agony that lasts for a long time.

It is a widely held belief that putting people on life support just prolongs their suffering. According to USLegal, life support is a medical therapy that "would only serve to prolong the death process where the patient has a terminal illness or injury, or would only function to maintain the patient in a state of permanent unconsciousness when applied to the patient." It does not, however, entail the delivery of drugs to relieve pain or bring comfort to the patient.

According to the definition, life support may cause the patient to suffer unnecessarily. This explains why some people have a DNR in place or tell loved ones not to put them on life support before they pass away. What good is it if someone is diagnosed with a persistent vegetative state?

Unfortunately, there are a lot of myths surrounding life support, especially when it comes to brain death.

According to Arthur Caplan, director of NYU Langone Medical Center's Division of Medical Ethics. Doctors should have been more honest about the inevitability of brain death in the instance of Jahi McMath, who was brain dead following a procedure to remove her tonsils. This is to avoid a situation in which the parents don't comprehend what's going on and object to the devices being removed, or where they have the "impression that deceased individuals can come back to life."

3. It depletes resources.

One of the reasons a person is taken off life support is because their family can no longer afford the treatment expenditures. It's good enough if the United States offers a Life Support Rebate, which can help surrogates pay their electricity expenses. Anyone can only guess how much money Elaine Esposito's family spent on hospital bills during her 36 years on life support.

The price is undoubtedly exorbitant. Aside from the devices, a patient would require the services of doctors, nurses, and other hospital workers. The entire cost of their professional fees and medical expenses is frequently astonishing. If there are legal fights to be fought during therapy, the entire cost will undoubtedly take a toll on anyone's resources.

It's generally a lose-lose situation because life support doesn't guarantee that a patient will recover. The patient will die and the family will be broke. This is because, once a machine is removed, it is virtually always a certainty that someone receiving life-supporting treatment will die. When a ventilator or cardiopulmonary resuscitation is discontinued, a patient usually dies in a matter of days, if not minutes.

4. Ethical concerns

When life support was initially introduced, it was thought to be a good, unique, and life-saving procedure. People these days are divided on a variety of ethical concerns, especially in light of the numerous landmark cases that have sparked arguments that have lasted till now. The following are some of the issues that have been raised:

Quality of life vs. quantity of life: While life support can help people live longer, are they truly living without discomfort or indignity? Are surrogates truly concerned about their patients' well-being, or are they merely hoping for a full recovery?
Giving doctors autonomy: When family members say yes to a doctor's query, "do you want us to do everything?" they are putting themselves in a position to engage in unethical behaviour. Despite their ethical and legal responsibility to offer treatments in the most beneficial setting for patients and their families, some doctors make decisions without consulting surrogates, while others fail to provide a clear and full explanation of what is actually involved in the process.
When is enough really enough when it comes to life support withholding and withdrawal? Withholding and withdrawing life support is based on the idea that treatment should not be started if the patient or surrogate declines. However, there have been instances where physicians recommended that treatments be discontinued, but the patient's parents were adamantly opposed.

Because of the numerous benefits and drawbacks of life support, it is critical that a patient's family or relative thoroughly assess the situation. They should take into account a variety of factors, including:

If the patients recover from their coma, their quality of life will improve. Will they be brain dead, in pain, or otherwise incapacitated?