Hi there!
Today’s article is about, “Quick Tip for Families
in Intensive Care: Non-Consensual Withdrawal of Life Support – Supreme Court Upholds $5 Million Verdict”
You may also watch this through this YouTube link https://youtu.be/ss1Q0-KxCfw or you can continue reading the article
below.
Quick Tip for Families in Intensive Care: Non-Consensual Withdrawal of Life Support – Supreme Court Upholds $5 Million
Verdict
Hi, it’s Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com with another quick tip for families in intensive care.
Today, I actually want to quote a blog post from one of our associates, Professor Thaddeus Mason Pope, who is an expert on end-of-life law and policy in
Minnesota, in the U.S. As a matter of fact, I’ve had Professor Pope on my podcast here on a couple of occasions. So, a big shout out to Professor Pope.
Now today, I want to actually read out a case from his blog which you will find at Medical Futility Blog. I’ll post a link to his blog below this video. I just want to read out a case that he published on his post, which I think is highly
relevant to our audience here at intensivecarehotline.com. It’s highly relevant to our clients and followers and you will see in a minute why.
So, the headline is,
“Non-Consensual Withdrawal of Life Support – Supreme Court Upholds $5 Million Verdict
In 2016, Lillian Birt suffered complications following surgery. She had pneumonia and sepsis and was placed on life support in the ICU at Salt Lake Regional Medical Center.
Birt’s clinicians determined that she was very likely to survive with a good recovery. Yet, when discussing a treatment plan with Birt’s family, clinicians instead represented that her condition was terminal, and that treatment was unnaturally prolonging her life. Erroneously understanding that their mother had a negative prognosis, Birt’s children consented to withdrawing life support.
They later sued for
medical malpractice alleging the physicians both, (1) failed to probably inform them that their mother had a high likelihood of recovery, and (2) failed to dissuade them from withdrawing care.
In September 2021, the jury returned a $5 million verdict for the family.
The trial court reduced
that to $4.45 million to comply with the state cap on non-economic damages. This week, the state Supreme Court upheld $4 million of the verdict, ruling there was insufficient evidence for one of the family’s theories.
From Thaddeus Mason Pope on February 17th, 2024.”
So, why is
this relevant? We are seeing this over and over again. ICU teams are negative without any reason. They’re just negative because they’re trying to manage that downside.
What’s their downside? Their downside is that they say, “Look, we look after your mom, your dad, your spouse, sibling, whatever, in ICU for the next 5 days and then they will leave ICU alive”, and if that’s not going to happen, then
you could sue them. That’s why they’re always negative and that’s why you need a second opinion from Day 1. That’s why you need consulting advocacy from Day 1.
The
biggest challenge for families in intensive care, simply that they don’t know what they don’t know. They don’t know what to look for.
They
don’t know what questions to ask. They don’t know their rights and they don’t know how to manage doctors and nurses in intensive care.
This is a classic example of what we’ve been preaching here for over 10 years that you are in a once-in-a-lifetime situation that you cannot afford to get wrong. Perfect example here that this was a once-in-a-lifetime example and the family got it terribly wrong,
terribly wrong.
ICUs do what they do, don’t blame them. You need to take responsibility.
ICUs do what they do. There’s enough content here at intensivecarehotline.com that explains to you what ICUs do. You just need to listen to it, and you just need to listen to a second opinion.
You need to listen to someone who’s worked in the industry.
I’ve worked in intensive care for nearly 25 years in three different countries where I also worked as a nurse manager for over 5 years. I have been consulting and advocating for families in intensive care all over the world since 2013 here at intensivecarehotline.com.
I can say without any hint of exaggeration that we have saved lives with intensivecarehotline.com consulting advocacy.
You can have a look at our testimonial section or at our podcast where we have done interviews with clients who verified that we have saved their loved one’s life with our advocacy, insights, and consulting.
Because of that, we have created a membership for families of critically ill patients in intensive care that you can become a member of. When you go to
intensivecarehotline.com, click on the membership link, or go to intensivecaresupport.org directly. In the membership, you have access to me and my team, and we answer all questions intensive care related.
In the membership, you also have access to 21 ebooks and 21 videos just for our members as a thank you. With those videos and ebooks, most of your questions will be answered, but of course, I’m here and my team is here for you as well.
I also offer one-on-one consulting and advocacy over the phone, Skype, Zoom, WhatsApp, whichever medium works best for you. I talk to you and your families directly, of course. I talk to doctors and nurses directly and I change the dynamics for you very, very quickly.
In this situation that I just read out where with the non-consensual withdrawal of life support, I would have educated you from Day 1 that you don’t need to listen to the negativity
of the intensive care team, but you need to look at medical records, ask the right questions, and get a second opinion. This would not have happened if the
family would have gotten a second opinion very clearly.
The goal is always for you to make informed decisions, have peace of mind, control, power, and influence. Clearly, in this situation, the family did anything but was an uninformed decision and it cost their loved one their life. It’s terrible. Once again, ICU just what do what they do. They are businesses at the end of the day, and you have to
take responsibility for your own actions and how much research you’re doing.
We also offer medical record reviews in real-time so that you can get a second opinion in
real-time. I also represent you in family meetings with intensive care teams. Imagine I would have been in a family meeting in this particular situation, I could have educated the family very, very easily in front of the intensive care team. We also offer medical record reviews after intensive care if you have unanswered questions, if you need closure or if you are simply suspecting medical negligence.
All of that, you get at intensivecarehotline.com. Call us on one of the numbers on the top of our website or simply send us an email to support@intensivecarehotline.com with your questions.
Now, if you like my videos, subscribe to my YouTube channel for regular updates for families in intensive care, click the like button, click the notification bell, comment below what you want to see next, what questions and insights you have.
Thank you so much for
watching.
This is Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com and I will talk to you in a few days.
Take care for now.
