Best interests and persistent vegetative state.

Best interests in persistent vegetative state.

Letters Best interests in persistent vegetative state SIR While I agree with several points raised in your recent editorial' on my paper, Applying best interests to persistent vegetative state-a principled distortion?,2 I must respond to a number of other issues which you raise. I agree unreservedly with your caveat that both doctors and judges must act within the law. My paper, however, sought...

Applying best interests to persistent vegetative state--a principled distortion?

"Best interests" is widely accepted as the appropriate foundation principle for medico-legal decisions concerning treatment withdrawal from patients in persistent vegetative state (PVS). Its application appears to progress logically from earlier use regarding legally incompetent patients. This author argues, however, that such confidence in the relevance of the principle of best interests to PV...

Persistent vegetative state, withdrawal of artificial nutrition and hydration, and the patient's "best interests".

Editorial Persistent vegetative state, withdrawal of artificial nutrition and hydration, and the patient's "best interests" In this issue of the journal Anthea Fenwick, an Edinburgh University graduate law student, robustly challenges the use of "best interests" by English judges in the context of permitting withdrawal of life-supporting nutrition and hydra-tion from patients in persistent vege...

Death, Brain Death, and Persistent Vegetative State

For most of human history, there was no perceived problem in determining whether a person was alive or dead. If the person had stopped breathing and had no heartbeat, he was considered dead. During the twentieth century, however, techniques were developed that made it possible to resuscitate some people who had stopped breathing and whose heart had stopped beating. With the invention of mechani...

Death, Brain Death, and Persistent Vegetative State