“Under what circumstances does the hospital turn off the ventilator for a patient?”
My father has been on ventilator support for the last 15 days and we are very upset as well as worried. I want to know what are the circumstances under which the hospital will advice us to remove the support?
2 Answers
If your father has an advanced directive and DNR in place. You need to be his health care proxy to make decisions for him since he is not able when on ventilator. Hopefully his advanced directive states his desires. It is also important that all family members present are in agreement. You must be logical and have a straightforward discussion with the Dr. in charge of his care and try to avoid becoming emotional or aggravated. As I always told families the removal of life support is the most compassionate and loving thing to do for your father at that stage. Good Luck.
In the light of medical condition of your father, if it is determined that the scope of meaningful recovery may be less likely to be achieved, then hospital teams may recommend you to consider removal of life-sustaining treatments in order to focus on comfort care and allowing the natural process. Please share your concerns with the hospital team.
