Examkin

Question

Difficulty: EasyAdvance Directives and End-of-Life Care

A 78-year-old man is admitted to the intensive care unit after suffering a massive ischemic stroke. On examination, he is unresponsive, requires mechanical ventilation, and lacks decision-making capacity. His prognosis for meaningful neurologic recovery is exceptionally poor. A review of his medical records reveals a legally valid advance directive that explicitly appoints his eldest daughter as his designated healthcare proxy. The daughter is informed of the prognosis and states that her father would not want to be kept alive on artificial life support in this condition. She requests that the team transition him to comfort care, including compassionate extubation. Shortly after, the patient's wife arrives at the hospital. She vehemently disagrees with the daughter's decision, insists that all life-sustaining measures be continued, and threatens legal action if care is withdrawn. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?

  1. Follow the direction of the eldest daughter and proceed with transitioning to comfort care.Answer
  2. B
    Transfer decision-making authority to the patient's wife according to standard next-of-kin hierarchy.
  3. C
    Maintain life-sustaining therapy and consult the hospital ethics committee to mediate the dispute.
  4. D
    Continue current medical interventions until the daughter and wife reach a unanimous agreement.
  5. E
    Seek an emergency court injunction to determine the appropriate surrogate decision-maker.

Answer

Follow the direction of the eldest daughter and proceed with transitioning to comfort care.
When a patient lacks decision-making capacity, medical decisions must be guided by their advance directives. A medical power of attorney (or designated healthcare proxy) is a legal document in which the patient appoints a specific individual to make healthcare decisions on their behalf. This explicitly designated proxy supersedes the default legal next-of-kin hierarchy (which typically prioritizes the spouse). Therefore, the physician must honor the decision of the eldest daughter, who is acting as the legal proxy, even if the spouse disagrees and threatens legal action. The proxy's role is to act based on substituted judgment (what the patient would have wanted), which the daughter is doing in this scenario.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the patient's current decision-making capacity.
The patient is unresponsive and lacks capacity.
Surrogate decision-makers are only utilized when the patient cannot make their own medical decisions.
2
Identify the highest-ranking surrogate decision-maker.
The eldest daughter is the designated healthcare proxy.
A legally appointed healthcare proxy takes precedence over default next-of-kin, including a spouse.
3
Execute the decision of the authorized surrogate.
Transition to comfort care is initiated as requested by the daughter.
The physician's legal and ethical duty is to follow the direction of the legally recognized surrogate, despite family disagreements.

Key Concept

Advance Directives and Surrogate Decision-Making
Rate this question

Topics

Advance Directives and End-of-Life Care

More questions from this topic