Types of life-prolonging procedures

Blood and Blood Products

Blood is a composed of a complex fluid in which cells, platelets, and chemicals are suspended. Blood transfusions may be suggested to fight diseases that impair the circulatory system, to encourage healing after a blood loss, or to replenish blood lost through surgery or disease.

Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

CPR involves applying physical pressure and using mouth-to-mouth resuscitation when a person's heart or breathing has stopped. Electrical shocks may also be used. Intravenous drugs and respirators may accompany CPR. If you choose to have CPR withheld, you will not receive: chest compression, electric shock treatments to the chest, artificial ventilation, or cardiac drugs.

In addition to requesting that CPR not be given, you may want to secure a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order. A DNR order gives proof of your wish that you not be administered CPR and alerts emergency medical personnel to this wish. You may want to bear in mind a DNR order if you: have a terminal illness, have an increased risk for cardiac or respiratory arrest, or have strong feelings against the use of CPR. Although many states allow any adult to acquire a DNR order, some states allow you to create an order only if you have been diagnosed as having a terminal illness.

If you want to secure a DNR order, you must talk with a doctor because a doctor's signature is required to make the DNR valid. If you obtain a DNR order, discuss your decision with your loved ones as they should know where your form is located and whom to call if you require emergency treatment. Even if you are wearing identification, keep your form in an obvious place because if your DNR order is not apparent and immediately available, CPR will most likely be performed.

Dialysis

A dialysis machine substitutes for kidneys. When kidneys do not function properly, a dialysis machine cleans the blood and adds crucial substances through tubes placed in blood vessels or into the stomach. The cleansing process takes at least three hours and is performed on most dialysis patients from two to three times a week.

Diagnostic Tests

Diagnostic tests are generally used to evaluate body fluids and to check on all bodily functions. Diagnostic tests can include X-rays and tests of internal body systems. Some diagnostic tests can be costly and invasive, causing pain and other side effects.

Drugs

The most common and controversial drugs given to seriously ill or comatose patients are antibiotics. They may be administered by mouth, by injection, or through a feeding tube. Antibiotics are used to stop infectious diseases, although very weak patients may not respond even to massive doses.

Respirator

A mechanical respirator or a ventilator helps or takes over a patient's breathing by pumping air in and out of the lungs. Patients are connected to respirators either by a tube that goes through the mouth and throat into the lung or by a tube that attaches directly through the lung surgically. Respirators are often used to stabilize patients who are suffering from a severe trauma or breathing emergency. Once a patient has been attached to a respirator, most doctors will resist removing the machinery unless there is clear written direction that this is what the patient would want.

Surgery

Surgical procedures are often used to halt the spread of life-threatening infections or to keep vital organs functioning. In deciding whether to include surgery in your living will, you should consider the cost, the time spent recovering, and the basic prognosis.