Alternative Medicine Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Alternative Medicine, including details on complementary medicine, alternative therapies, homeopathy.

A family's request for complementary medicine after patient brain death.

Applbaum AI, Tilburt JC, Collins MT, Wendler D

John F. Kennedy School of Government and Edmond J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

A 19-year-old woman living with relatives in the United States who was admitted for elective cranial surgery for complications related to a congenital disorder developed an acute intracranial hemorrhage 10 days after surgery. The patient was declared dead following repeat negative apnea tests. The patient's father requested that the treating team administer an unverified traditional medicinal substance to the patient. Because of the unusual nature of this request, the treating team called an ethics consultation. The present article reviews this case and discusses other cases that share key features to determine whether and when it is appropriate to accommodate requests for interventions on patients who have been declared dead.

Published 14 May 2008 in JAMA, 299(18): 2188-93.
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