BY SUSAN M. MATHEWS, PhD, RN, MSBE There are more than 250,000 people in the U.S. at the end stages of heart failure. Of those about 15 percent are in critical need of a heart transplant. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) tightly regulates organ transplant programs and can halt reimbursement if they […]
BY DANIEL GAITAN | daniel@lifemattersmedia.org A patient inked his do not resuscitate order — just not on paper. When an unresponsive man arrived in an emergency room in Miami, Fla, medical staff ignored his code-status preference because it was written on his body. The man had “Do Not Resuscitate” tattooed on his chest with “Not” underlined and […]
BY SUSAN M. MATHEWS, PH.D. Most do not wish to think about a do-not-resuscitate order, whether for themselves or for a loved one. However, this is not a decision that should wait until a crisis and hospital admission, especially as we age. An advance directive or conversation about resuscitation with a doctor, at the very […]
BY CRAIG KLUGMAN, Ph.D | LIFE MATTERS MEDIA CONTRIBUTOR This past week appears to have been “advance directive week” on television. First, on the rebooted X-Files, Dana Scully finds her mother’s advance directive. Second, a Chicago Med physician ignores not only a DNR, but a patient’s clearly stated wishes not to be resuscitated. One of […]
A Conversation With LMM Founder Dr. Mary F. Mulcahy By Jo Cavallo for The ASCO Post Although a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order does not mean “do not treat,” that is how it is often interpreted, according to a study examining the level of care oncology inpatients at a tertiary care hospital received. The study found that the […]