title: Case conference. Earning his heroin but seeking release while the surgeon advises amputation.
abstract: A man aged 80 years presented with painful ischaemia (inadequate blood supply) affecting his left lower leg. There was no effective medical treatment. The surgeons recommended amputation. The patient refused, in spite of suffering severe pain for fifteen months, because he wished to die, and he tried to bring this about by various means.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000671:Amputation, Surgical; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010148:Intractable Pain; D026706:Paternalism; D010349:Patient Compliance; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D012297:Right to Die; D012945:Social Values; D026712:Value of Life