Someone in a COMA: Pull the PLUG or NOT?!

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Posted: 13 years ago

😲😭 This is a good topic I would like to discuss. When someone is put into a coma because of a terrible accident or other circumstance, it is always an uphill battle for the loved ones. Some are in a coma for years, while others have the plug pulled right away. Would you PULL the PLUG? A lot depends on the situation. But, please share your thoughts...

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Summer3

@Summer3

Trailblazer

+ 2

Posted: 13 years ago

If there is little hope just pull the plug and call it a day; especially if the patient is pretty old.

A friend of mine kept his mum on life support system for one and a half years, the medical bill came up to over a million bucks.

He did it cause his brother could afford the money; but not the time.

The mum was staying with my friend before she was admitted in ICU.

In the end she gave it up and left the world.

Attachment is hard to give up and humans hope against hope.

Generally I think that chidren are more willing to let their parents go off to the other world whereas parents will keep fighting to save the life of a kid.

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Bankim Chandra Chaterjee

@mr.ass

Rocker

Posted: 13 years ago

Well, you can't ask them, because just like in the Indian Contract Act, silence, does not amount to acceptance.

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Angel-likeDevil

@Angel-likeDevil

Trailblazer

+ 3

Posted: 13 years ago

NOO! I am completely against pulling the plug :'(

..Nobody has a right to put an end to another person's life .

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return_to_hades

@return_to_hades

Stunner

+ 6

Posted: 13 years ago

The first course of action would be to go by their living wills. I know some relatives who would prefer the plug pulled. There are others who have stated that they do not want the plug pulled.

If there is no living will, I will go based on medical opinion. If the doctors say there is a less than 40% chance of living and/or coming out of coma, then I will pull the plug. I will get multiple opinions though.

However, in both cases eventually utilitarianism prevails. If resources were infinite then all life is priceless. With finite resources we have to make the difficult decision of choosing one life over another. Rather than lock up resources both financial and medical in serving a life that will never be a valuable contributing member in society ever again, I would rather divert those resources to someone who will recover and live.

Personally, I'm a pull a plug kind of person. Yes, life is precious, but not that precious. Stop clinging onto false hope. The world does not have endless resources to sustain you or your loved ones forever. Do the right thing, give the chance to someone who actually stands a chance. You may be taking one life by pulling a plug. But think of how many lives you may indirectly take by refusing to give that hospital bed, doctor's time, expensive resources to someone else waiting in line.

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Believe

@-Believe-

Stunner

+ 2

Posted: 13 years ago

Practicaly someone whos staying in coma so many years...ppl may think about these options...otherwise nobody try to pull the of their son's/daughters/fathers/mothers plug ...hope is bigger than the world...when you see a beggar on the roadside who is without hands, feet, eyes whose whole body is wasted, you also start wondering why he is living!! Ppl can think anything as per their wish but some ppl dnt know most of the ppl believe and hope that tomorrow everything will be alright on account of some miracle...😊

Edited by Prometeus - 13 years ago

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Forever-KA

@Forever-KA

Rocker

+ 4

Posted: 13 years ago

lol. why do we have this topic "love someone and marry someone else' as related topic lol anyway...It is not always about pulling the plug. That is applicable in a situation (such a brain death) where a patient is on life support and pulling it will lead to death of patient.

- Brain death involves damage to both cognitive as well as autonomic parts (involved in maintaining circulation, breathing etc) and therefore needs a life support. Here one is faced with the question of "pulling the plug". The reason is that there is a plug to pull and second pulling it will lead to death.

- Coma is just state of unconciousness which could result from less or more severe brain damage to areas concerned with arousal and last weeks and rarely longer and people can recover from it. It is not considered as ethical dilemma because there is no pulling the plug option. Both cognitive and autonomic parts are intact

- A more severe form of coma is a vegetative state. Here the problem is that autonomic continues to work but cognitive part suffers from damage. So circulation, breathing, certain reflexs etc goes on but thinking memory etc is no longer there. Paitent is maintained but there is no plug to pull here as well. If one decides to end maintaince like ending feeding then you are essentially doing a cruel act. This is more than pulling a plug on someone whose both cognitive and autonomic systems are gone. This is a tough decision. People have recovered but very rare and death is more likely option. It is this one that is being debated here.

Personally I would continue to support the person in coma and even vegetative state. Brain death is basically point of no return

P.S This is based on my limited knowledge on this. Experts in this can shed more light on mechanisms and prognosis. In the end nothing is guaranteed and odd situations have been reported also.

Edited by King-Anu - 13 years ago