A very premature baby, Baby
A, has been under your care since birth. Her mother, Mrs. Klein, was forced
into an early cesarean delivery because of the baby’s condition. Baby A was
born with a very severe form of hydrops fetalis, a condition that causes her to
suffer from breathing problems, risk of heart failure, total body swelling,
extreme anemia, and bruising all over her skin. She has been on many
medications to prevent heart failure and is on a ventilator to manage her
respiratory problems. However, even after having oxygen delivered to her body,
she shows no signs of improvement and her oxygen saturation levels remain low. Furthermore,
because she was born premature, the lung tissue is underdeveloped, and her
lungs cannot provide enough oxygenation. You, as the physician, are
concerned of causing oxygen toxicity by administering more oxygen and causing
more harm than benefit to Baby A. Also, since her condition is worsening, you
will have to administer more medications to prevent heart failure, brain
damage, and lessen the respiratory complications, but you also know that
combining many of the medications and treatments has shown to result in more
pain and poorer quality of life. The prognosis is very bleak, but her parents
insist on treatment in spite of the lack of improvement and the chance of
furthering the child's suffering.
During a meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Klein, you explain to them the burdens of
the treatment. However, Mrs. Klein interrupts you.
“We want everything done to keep our baby alive,” Mrs. Klein urges. “We come
from a religious family, and we believe that God created human life. It is not
acceptable to take away a life that God has created. You have to do everything
that you can as a doctor to save people’s lives, not end them.”
What should you do?
-Written by Kiran Singh
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