Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog

Another medical problem facing the U.S. occurs because “Americans increasingly are treated to death, spending more time in hospitals in their final days, trying last-ditch treatments that often buy only weeks of time, and racking up bills that have made medical care a leading cause of bankruptcies.” (M. Marchione, AP Medical 6/28).
Although upwards of 80 percent of people who die in the U.S. have long-term, progressive illnesses and more then 80 percent of these patients say they would to avoid hospitalization when they know they are dying but rather enjoy their last days, the number speak otherwise. The mentality of medical providers appears to be to try everything, spending endless amounts of money, even when it is futile. Patient’s families feel as though they are not presented with any options other than continued treatment – a phenomenon called “exhaustive medicine”. Thus, dying patients die in hospitals after excruciating treatments rather than being able to live out their last days with their families.

For example, “a stunning number of cancer patients get aggressive care in the last days of their lives, she noted. One large study of Medicare records found that nearly 12 percent of cancer patients who died in 1999 received chemo in the last two weeks of life, up from nearly 10 percent in 1993.”

Although Doctor’s cannot be expected to predict how soon a patient will die with certainty, they are generally able to recognize when a disease has become incurable. When medical efforts become futile, it is best to allow patients to leave the confines of medical care and expire with their families.

As a medical malpractice attorney, I am hopeful that medical guidelines will be amended to remove exhaustive medicine from medical protocol and allow patients to enjoy their last days with the people they love, rather than the hospital that has, ultimately, failed to cure them.

This week in a meeting organized by the Institute of Medicine, “public health officials and scientists will be gathering in New Orleans to talk about whether any health problems could be caused by the Gulf oil spill.” (Atlanta AP, 6/21). The group will also discuss the most reliable way to monitor any potential medical issues.
Health officials assert that there are no real short term health risks, but are uncertain about the long term impacts particularly on the workers cleaning up the oil spill. However, the government has allocated $10 million for research.

As a products liability and medical malpractice lawyer, I am stunned by the BP oil spill and the magnitude of health and environmental problems it may cause. Hopefully the upcoming meeting with provide some insight into the battle that lies ahead.