(ABC) - Patients with heart implant devices that help keep them alive literally have to make life and death decisions. Cardiologists are being advised to follow their patient's wishes, even if the choice they make may result in death.
Implanted devices such as cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators help to keep diseased hearts beating regularly, prolonging the lives of thousands of people who have them. Defibrillators can cause painful shocks that may cause distress for patients at the end of their lives.
If patients, with a clear mind, choose to discontinue treatment or decline medical intervention, cardiologists are being told to honor their wishes - even if they are not terminally ill.
A new consensus statement issued by several professional cardiology groups says that carrying out the patient's request is neither physician-assisted suicide nor euthanasia. Doctors can't be compelled to turn off the devices if doing so violates their ethical values. However, they are obligated to find a colleague who will carry out the patient's wishes. The statement also says, physicians should discuss the option to deactivate the devices with their patients before they're implanted and throughout the course of treatment.
