Reference no: EM132080019

Would Gilligan say that CPR should be performed again if necessary? Why or why not? 

Case: Ms. Sonja Pines, an 83-year-old who suffers from liver cancer and kidney failure, is no longer able to communicate medical decisions. Her 60-year-old daughter, Sarah, is recognized as her proxy. The health-care tem believes that CPR is inappropriate for Ms. Pines and that kidney dialysis should be discontinued. In a few days, or perhaps a few weeks, she will almost certainly die. She is quite frail, so CPR would probably produce significant damage and is unlikely to be successful. If she survived CPR she would probably be brain damaged. A resident, Dr. Alice Patik, has talked with Sarah, who adamantly insists that "everything" be done for her mother. Sarah's other family members live mostly out of town and rarely visit. They have been contacted by phone and all agree, Sarah says. Ms. Pines codes and CPR is performed. The procedure causes two broken ribs; although Ms. Pines is unable to communicate, it appears that she suffered as a result of CPR. She is placed on a ventilator. Dr. Patik thinks that the results of the CPR confirm the view of the health-care team about the harmfulness of the procedure. With good reason, Sarah believes that her mother would have died without the CPR, and this confirms her view about its importance.