[Management of an elderly patient in the emergency room at the end of life : A medical ethics challenge]

Med Klin Intensivmed Notfmed. 2018 Apr;113(3):208-211. doi: 10.1007/s00063-017-0329-2. Epub 2017 Aug 3.
[Article in German]

Abstract

A 94-year-old patient with cardiogenic shock due to myocardial infarction was admitted via the emergency room. A coronary angiography and intensive care were requested. The need for care due to dementia was known. After case discussion in the interdisciplinary and multiprofessional treatment team, the decision for a palliative care concept in the form of symptom control was made in the emergency room, taking into account the patient's medical history, the current situation, and the presumed patient consent. The integration of medical ethics aspects and palliative medicine into "geriatric emergency medicine" will present a challenge in the future.

Keywords: Emergency medicine; Geriatrics; Medical ethics; Palliative care; Shared decision making.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Emergency Service, Hospital
  • Ethics, Medical*
  • Geriatrics*
  • Humans
  • Palliative Care
  • Terminal Care* / ethics