Argumentative Essay On Life Support
Life Support Have you ever wondered what you would do if you had a family member dying on life support? Would you want extraordinary measures taken to help them live? Would you want to let nature take its course? Family members can be left with the huge responsibility of what they think is best for you. Do you really want to leave this important decision for them to make? Life support should only be used in the circumstances that the patient has a chance of living off the machine. Those on life support that have an indefinite amount of the time to depend on a machine for life should be considered for organ donation. Many people need other organs in order to survive. The only way that they will get those organs is from people donating them to the ones in need. “The approximate time for the following organs/tissues is : Lung (4-6 hours) ; Heart (4-6 hours)
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; Liver (24 hours) ; Pancreas (24 hours) ; Kidney (72 hours) ; Corneas (14 days) ; Bone (5 years) ; Skin (5 years) ; Heart valve (10 years).” (“Frequently Asked Questions”). That quote means that the according organs can only be useful for donation in that time after death. In that time, it counts the removal of organs from the donor and taking it to the to the hospital where its needed. There are some exceptions from the medical advances that are being made. Life support can be financially draining on the families paying the cost. Most people don’t realize the how much medical bills can really be. Families can be left with thousands of dollars to pay that they can’t afford. “Keeping a patient on life support in an intensive care unit bed costs, at a minimum, $2,000 - $4,000 per day and can run much higher depending on the patient’s condition, into hundreds of thousands a year.” (Ehrenfreund). To a patient that isn’t getting any better and is just getting worse, that is a lot of money. Paying these costs can take years to accomplish. I agree, money doesn’t matter as long as they are going to wake up. In the circumstances that they won’t, I feel like families should think about the costs. In some cases, people that are on life support have no chance of ever waking again.
Some have no brain activity left. “When someone is brain dead, it means that the brain is no longer working in any capacity and never will again. Other organs, such as the heart, kidneys, or liver, can still work for a short time if the breathing machine is left in place, but when brain death is declared, it means the person has died.” (“Understanding Brain Death”). Brain death can happen from an accident in a car or plane. It is out of anyone’s control. Life support was made to help people. In most cases, it does help them and not let them depend on the machine. “The objective is to buy time for patients so that they can be treated for the underlying cause or able to recover on their own.” (“Life Support : Information and Ethics”). Some people may get put on life support because their organs are failing or they have trouble breathing on their own. Surgery can help them. Some might be simple procedures and others might become difficult transplants. With the help of the life support machines, hospitals can get you better
easier. Life support shouldn’t be used in the case that the patient won’t get any better. The costs can be an important reason. If the patient isn’t going to get any better, organ donation should be a point to be considered for them. Families should be thinking about the costs of keeping their family member on life support.
Work Cited
Ehrenfreund, Max. “Jahi McMath could be removed from life support despite family’s wishes.” The Washington Post, 30 Dec, 2013, http://washingtonpost.com/national/jahi-mcmath-could-be-removed-life-support-despite-familys-wishes/2013/12/30/41f122f4-7191-8def-a33011492df2_story.html. Accessed 24 Oct, 2016
“Frequently Asked Questions.” DCI Donor Services, Inc., www.dcids.org/facts-about-donation/frequently-asked-questions/. Accessed 25 Oct,2016
“Life Support: Information and Ethics” ACLS Training Center, 22 Sept, 2016, https://www.acls.net/information-and-ethics.html, Accessed 21 Oct, 2016
“Understanding Brain Death.” Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network, www.donorrecovery.org/learn/understanding-brain-death/, Accessed 21 Oct, 2
; Liver (24 hours) ; Pancreas (24 hours) ; Kidney (72 hours) ; Corneas (14 days) ; Bone (5 years) ; Skin (5 years) ; Heart valve (10 years).” (“Frequently Asked Questions”). That quote means that the according organs can only be useful for donation in that time after death. In that time, it counts the removal of organs from the donor and taking it to the to the hospital where its needed. There are some exceptions from the medical advances that are being made. Life support can be financially draining on the families paying the cost. Most people don’t realize the how much medical bills can really be. Families can be left with thousands of dollars to pay that they can’t afford. “Keeping a patient on life support in an intensive care unit bed costs, at a minimum, $2,000 - $4,000 per day and can run much higher depending on the patient’s condition, into hundreds of thousands a year.” (Ehrenfreund). To a patient that isn’t getting any better and is just getting worse, that is a lot of money. Paying these costs can take years to accomplish. I agree, money doesn’t matter as long as they are going to wake up. In the circumstances that they won’t, I feel like families should think about the costs. In some cases, people that are on life support have no chance of ever waking again.
Some have no brain activity left. “When someone is brain dead, it means that the brain is no longer working in any capacity and never will again. Other organs, such as the heart, kidneys, or liver, can still work for a short time if the breathing machine is left in place, but when brain death is declared, it means the person has died.” (“Understanding Brain Death”). Brain death can happen from an accident in a car or plane. It is out of anyone’s control. Life support was made to help people. In most cases, it does help them and not let them depend on the machine. “The objective is to buy time for patients so that they can be treated for the underlying cause or able to recover on their own.” (“Life Support : Information and Ethics”). Some people may get put on life support because their organs are failing or they have trouble breathing on their own. Surgery can help them. Some might be simple procedures and others might become difficult transplants. With the help of the life support machines, hospitals can get you better
easier. Life support shouldn’t be used in the case that the patient won’t get any better. The costs can be an important reason. If the patient isn’t going to get any better, organ donation should be a point to be considered for them. Families should be thinking about the costs of keeping their family member on life support.
Work Cited
Ehrenfreund, Max. “Jahi McMath could be removed from life support despite family’s wishes.” The Washington Post, 30 Dec, 2013, http://washingtonpost.com/national/jahi-mcmath-could-be-removed-life-support-despite-familys-wishes/2013/12/30/41f122f4-7191-8def-a33011492df2_story.html. Accessed 24 Oct, 2016
“Frequently Asked Questions.” DCI Donor Services, Inc., www.dcids.org/facts-about-donation/frequently-asked-questions/. Accessed 25 Oct,2016
“Life Support: Information and Ethics” ACLS Training Center, 22 Sept, 2016, https://www.acls.net/information-and-ethics.html, Accessed 21 Oct, 2016
“Understanding Brain Death.” Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network, www.donorrecovery.org/learn/understanding-brain-death/, Accessed 21 Oct, 2