[IMRight]

It's perfectly reasonable to put a "no extraordinary measures" clause in a living will. A feeding tube does not qualify as "extraordinary measures". It's "ok" to unplug a machine that is breathing for you, but even people with a tracheotomy get feeding tubes.

[madprof98]

It's perfectly reasonable to put a "no extraordinary measures" clause in a living will. A feeding tube does not qualify as "extraordinary measures"

In my experience with living wills, the two issues are treated separately. There's a standard form, with a "no extraordinary measures" check-off and a "no feeding tube" check-off. Of course, the pressure is tremendous to check off both boxes.

[cherry]

most people on earth do not have access to "feeding tubes" ..its really only in western societies that have both the money and the expertise to afford this kind of feeding....

although its not expensive to run tube feedings, there are many consequences....

such as, aspiration pneumonia which can occurr even with those tidy litte PEG tubes...

and with pneumonia, you have hospitalization frequently, IV antibiotics, IV fluids, respiratory therapy, probably some physical therapy, etc...

and suppose the tube-feed pt codes....do we do all the CPR procedures?

it just seems that you need to make a humane decision somewhere along the line....

Why not make that decision early on, when there is no hope of recovery, and spare the pt. so much pain and suffering from the numerous interventions that are going to have to be done....

dying of aspiration pneumonia has got to be a rough way to go.....

[Conservative til I die]

It's "ok" to unplug a machine that is breathing for you, but even people with a tracheotomy get feeding tubes.

Exactly. There is a difference between actually being dead and having a machine pump your blood and make you breathe, and keep you alive with fluids, and being in a lesser consciousness but still perfectly healthy, and only needing food to be put into your body.