Newcomer Kelley Finch, Fine Robert L, Newman Antoinette Fidelia
Department of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
Baylor Scott and White Office of Clinical Ethics and Palliative Care, Dallas, TX, USA.
J Palliat Care. 2023 Oct;38(4):407-411. doi: 10.1177/08258597211014359. Epub 2021 May 3.
Supportive Palliative Care and Hospice professionals frequently attend to Minimally Conscious State (MCS) patients near the end of life and in so doing, face decisions over maintenance or withdrawal of artificial nutrition and hydration. Although both withholding and withdrawal of artificial nutrition and hydration (ANH) in such circumstances are considered by experts in ethics and law to be acceptable, not all families nor health care professionals agree. This paper will explore basic aspects of serious brain injuries, especially MCS, the psychological role of food in interpersonal relationships, and lessons from clinical ethics that can help in goals of care discussions about withdrawal of ANH.
Nutr Clin Pract. 2006-4
J Med Ethics. 2017-7
JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2009-11-6
Medicine (Baltimore). 2025-7-18