Patient Wishes Regarding Irreversible Respiratory Disease

An elderly patient with irreversible respiratory disease is in the intensive care unit where repeated efforts to wean him from ventilatory support have been unsuccessful. There is general agreement among the health care team that he could not survive outside of an intensive care setting. The patient has requested antibiotics should he develop an infection and CPR if he has a cardiac arrest.

• Should a distinction be made between the interventions (antibiotics and CPR) requested by the patient?
• What are the team’s professional, legal and ethical responsibilities?

Apply Theory (Specific Professional Healthcare Competencies + Clinical Medical Ethical Principles) to Practice in order to provide Optimal Patient-Centered Care (OPCC)