title: Response to Kuhse.
abstract: In this short paper, we respond to critics of our original paper, The agony of agonal respiration: is the last gasp necessary?. A common thread in both Hawryluck's and Kuhse's responses is the difficulties encountered when using the agent's intentions to make moral distinctions between using neuromuscular blocking drugs to palliate versus using neuromuscular blocking drugs to kill. Although this difficulty does exist we maintain that the intentions of the physician must matter when providing end-of-life care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, 3E-142 Brody Medical Sciences Building, Greenville, NC 27858-4354, USA. perkinr@mail.ecu.edu
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Perkin
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Resnik
mesh_terms: D001293:Attitude to Death; D003657:Decision Making; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D026690:Ethics, Clinical; D006801:Humans; D009042:Motivation; D009466:Neuromuscular Blocking Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000592:standards*; D012135:Respiratory Sounds; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000592:standards*
chemical_list: D009466:Neuromuscular Blocking Agents
keywords: Analytical Approach; Death and Euthanasia