The ethical and legal implications of deactivating an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator in a terminally ill cancer patient
England, Ruth, England, Tim and Coggon, John (2007) The ethical and legal implications of deactivating an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator in a terminally ill cancer patient. Journal of Medical Ethics, 33, (9), 538-540. (doi:10.1136/jme.2006.017657). (PMID:17761824).
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Description/Abstract
In this paper, the ethical and legal issues raised by the deactivation of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) in patients with terminal cancer is considered. It is argued that the ICD cannot be well described either as a treatment or as a non-treatment option, and thus raises complex questions regarding how rules governing deactivation should be framed. A new category called “integral devices” is proposed. Integral devices require their own special rules, reflecting their position as a “halfway house” between a form of treatment and a part of the body. The practical problems faced by doctors working in palliative medicine with regard to the deactivation of ICDs are also considered.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| ISSNs: | 0306-6800 (print) 1473-4257 (electronic) |
| Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BJ Ethics R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA1001 Forensic Medicine. Medical jurisprudence. Legal medicine R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC0254 Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology (including Cancer) |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Business and Law > Southampton Law School |
| Item ID: | 343811 |
| Date Deposited: | 12 Nov 2012 16:18 |
| Last Modified: | 12 Nov 2012 16:18 |
| Contributors: | England, Ruth (Author) England, Tim (Author) Coggon, John (Author) |
| Date: | September 2007 |
| Status: | Published |
| URI: | http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/343811 |
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