The tragic death of Natasha Richardson put a very public face on the issue of organ donation. April is National Donate Life Month in the United States, so for the month of April, I’ll be writing about organ donation and transplantation from differing points of view. I have some people who have received organs, those who have donated organs, those who are waiting for organs, and those who take part in this miraculous surgery and the care afterwards (Organ donation after brain death ) .
Many years ago, before I even had children, I had a coworker who was waiting for …read more

As a cardiac nurse, I see many procedures and types of treatments that question “ethics”. You know that whole quantity or quality? The thing is there is so much technology and advances in medications that we can keep a very sick heart going for a very long time. Is that to say that very same heart is effectively working without discomfort, compromising one’s lifestyle, hospitalizations and every day worries? No, not at all.
Researchers found that 16 percent of these patients reported refusing one or more medical or surgical interventions recommended by their physician. The most frequently …read more