title: Exemplary cases in clinical ethics: commentary on the case of Mr. A.
abstract: A commentary on a case of a man who is left a "high quad" (ventilator dependant as well as quadriplegic) after an accident discusses the following: The right of patients who sustain catastrophic injuries to choose to discontinue life-sustaining treatment, The role of capacity assessment in treatment decisions and in ethics consultations, The role of advance directives (ADs) for such patients if they lack capacity, Whether a do-not-resuscitate or do-not-attempt-resuscitation order should be seen as "a medical order" or an advance directive, Some hints about what might be intended when a patient refers to the criterion of having a "meaningful life."
authors.affiliation: McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics, University of Texas, Houston, USA. Jeffrey.P.Spike@uth.tmc.edu
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Spike
mesh_terms: D024362:Advance Directive Adherence / Q000941:ethics*; D003144:Communication Barriers; D003657:Decision Making; D033061:Ethics Consultation; D006801:Humans; D016224:Living Wills; D008297:Male; D016743:Mental Competency; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D028761:Withholding Treatment / Q000941:ethics*