Life Choices
COMMUNICATING ABOUT END OF LIFE
Life Choices: Page 8 of 36
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Life sustaining treatments
Understanding life sustaining treatments
Your doctor can answer your questions about the types of treatments and medical interventions that may lengthen your life and delay death.
Understanding these treatments and interventions will help you create your advance directives. Life-sustaining treatments are described below. However, your doctor may more fully explain them to you.
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
- CPR is performed when a patient's heart or lungs suddenly stop working. It usually includes chest compressions, the administration of drugs and/or electric shock to restore the heartbeat, and a tube placed in the windpipe for breathing. A doctor sometimes will write a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order instructing other health care providers not to attempt CPR in the case of cardiac or respiratory arrest. In contrast to advance directives, the patient or health care agent cannot prepare the DNR order. Every health care facility has its own policy on when to use DNR orders. Emergency medical services have separate forms. Check with your local ambulance service and hospital for information.
- Respirator (also called a ventilator)
- This machine breathes for a person unable to breathe naturally by moving air into the lungs. Patients recovering from surgery or illness sometimes are placed on a ventilator to help them breathe until they can breathe on their own.
- Artificial nutrition and hydration
- A patient who is unable to eat or drink may receive nutrition and fluids directly or indirectly into his or her stomach by a feeding tube or through an intravenous line. This artificial method of nutrition and hydration ordinarily is used when a person temporarily loses the ability to eat or digest food or water.
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