Ontario CCB Determines " Death Is a Benefit "

Over the past week, I have blogged about some of the 2019 medical futility disputes that were resolved by the Ontario Consent & Capacity Board. Here is another one. In VB, the family of a 71-year-old patient refused consent to the proposed palliative treatment plan that included removal from ventilator. The CCB sided with the clinicians, finding that the substitute decision makers found it difficult to find that "death was a benefit for VB." The panel determined that "VB’s condition was irreversible and permanent and that she would not experience any quality of life that saw her aware of her surroundings or able to interact, able to move or speak or able to breathe on her own."  The panel further determined that "VB was experiencing ongoing, invasive procedures that may cause pain or suffering (physical chest compressions, airway suctioning, turning) and was experiencing complications that potentially could cause pain or suffering (pressure sores, infections, choking)."
Source: blog.bioethics.net - Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Tags: Health Care syndicated Source Type: blogs