Are Older Adults a Burden?

Jane, an 88-year-old resident living independently with her husband, John, was brought to the emergency department delirious after an episode of unresponsiveness. She had had a dual-function implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) and pacemaker implanted several years ago. Although the ICD had discharged properly on two occasions in the past 6 months, interrogation of the device in the emergency department revealed that this time she experienced a 4-minute episode of ventricular fibrillation with several shocks failing to convert her rhythm before the last shock reestablished a paced rhythm.
Source: Caring for the Ages - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: medical ethics Source Type: news