A different kind of Mother ’s Day

Multiple strokes, respiratory failure. Cardiac arrest — twice. At first glance, I thought that I was reading the medical chart of an elderly person or at least one who had some other predisposing medical conditions to explain her current state. But I was staring at the body of a 28-year-old woman. She had a youthful face and frizzy hair from being propped up on the same static-charged pillow for the last few days. The nurses had painted her fingernails with red polish and slathered Vaseline on her lips, giving them a shimmery appearance. I was standing at her bedside with her mother, a well-dressed 50-something-year-old woman whose face was tear-stained. The attending on our ICU team had just told the family that the patient’s condition was terminal. Tests had confirmed that the electrical activity in her brain was not compatible with life. She had been declared in a persistent vegetative state, which is the medical term for being brain dead. It was time to withdraw life support. Continue reading ... Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation: A social media guide. Find out how.
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Physician Critical Care Source Type: blogs