There is a 73-year-old woman admitted to hospital after complaining of shortness of breath. The patient had a history of manic depression and emphysema. She was on steroids, but she developed severe respiratory problems. The doctors later realized a clot in her lungs, and they put her on a respiratory machine and blood thinners. However, even after the patient was put on the ventilator, it was found that she was too confused. She could interact with people, but she could not make decisions. The doctors realized that she had a mental problem (Case Study: The Alert and Incompetent Self The irrelevant of advance Directives.). The woman did not have any family members who could make decisions on her behalf. The only close people were two friends, who had known her for a long time. She had an advance directive, which she had written before. The friends argued that the doctors ought to have respected the directive that indicated that the patient did not need to be put on a respiratory machine. The doctors did not want to heed to the advance directive since the patient would have died. Due to the differing opinion, the ethics committee proposed that the patient should be transferred to another hospital. After the transfer, the respiratory systems were removed, and the patient died (Case Study:The Alert and Incompetent Self The irrelevant of advance Directives.).
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Another issue is whether the doctors should prolong the life of the patients by putting her on the respiratory system (Case Study: The Alert and Incompetent Self The irrelevant of advance Directives.). The primary stakeholders are the two friends and the patient and physicians. The doctors are also wondering whether they should follow the directive of the two friends and respect the advance directive of the patient.