MCD BIO 60 Study Guide - Final Guide: Paternalism, Blood Transfusion
23 Jun 2016
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An 85 years old jehovah"s witness undergoes a gi biopsy that results in bleeding. Knowing that the patient believed he will be damned to hell if he received blood products, the gi team transfused him with blood. They said they were concerned that the bleeding would be very detrimental for him because he was old, and stated that it was an emergency, even though it likely wasn"t. They want to quietly suppress their problem by not asking permission the patient what to do. To cover blood is the path of least resistance. As doctors, they must patients what they want before prescribing treatment. They should have asked his family members who judge for him with confidence of using patient mind. Anyone, only in emergencies, would want doctors to save lives. No need to seek their consent because time is running out. The old guy who wouldn"t function well without blood transfusion is not an emergency.
