Gerry Gandy

English 28
Holly Batty
May 3 2017

Life supports is a topic that some may be unfamiliar with or may find Controversial,
however Ive witnessed unfortunately the worst parts but I couldnt understand what it actually
does and how it works with certain patients. In addition I was unfamiliar with the method that
was used and the severity of it, so many are unaware of the functions of life support, as well as
the different types of life support that is offered for each body function. Some people believe that
the only way that you're able to be taken off life support is if your doctor takes you off but its not
quite true; considering if you're unable to independently decide to continue or discontent, your
family members or spouse are able to ethically decide if they would like to take you off, if youre
not showing any signs of improvement or progress. For example if you get in a severe almost
fatal car accident and get rushed to the hospital and your organs are unable to function
independently, a doctor may put you on life support to regulate and stabilize your bodily
functions. They will only proceed with the process and continue to look for better treatment if
youre able to get better. However, in my perspective the family undergoes a variety of
emotional and financial difficulties during your treatment, therefore the fact that the doctors give
up in a sense is not right, solely because the patient is not making immediate recovery in their
expected time period.
Furthermore in my opinion doctors should set a longer time period for patients especially if
patients have recovered in the past, even after being told that they had no chance of survival for
living a normal stable life. in addition, patients who lack insurance or have poor insurance
should not be given less treatment because of the insurance or be forced into making a long
lasting decision for financial purposes. The family should be able to make the decision based on
the progress of the patient not because the doctor had given up hope or because they lack
financial stability. because you can be using equipment that other patients could be using; Like
in the immortal life of Henrietta lacks when she had to give blood so the lady came tested her
cells, she should of had the right to say she wanted to give it or not and if they had life support
when this happen her and he family wouldnt have had to be Guinea pigs, everyone would have
been able to get some type of life support like whats given in this day and age.
There are many different types of life supports provided for a variety of pateience,
depending on their specific complication; In fact some of the types of life support are ones that
many were unaware that it was considered life support. In fact Hannah Rice Myers actually
touched upon this idea in her article about different life support systems, she wrote, Although
most people may think of ventilators when they hear the words "life-support machine," many
other types of machines may be used to sustain one's life. The type of life-support machine
used depends on the medical condition of the patient and the reasons for the use of life-support
machines. Patients with life threatening illnesses may make the choice to use life-support
machines while they are still of sound mind and capable of making their own decisions. Theres
four main types of life support machines, the first one is a ventilator that focuses air into the
lungs to patients who not able to breathe on their own. Pacemakers that is used that have
abnormal heart beats or stay with high blood sugar or dialysis machine which the most common
for patients that suffer from kidney failure but its not only machines that come with life support.
Life support could have easily been included for Henrietta to aid in her recovery.
Why do people have to pay for life support if life support is the only thing that can save them?
So if you are severely ill, far past the easy fix of fix of surgery or medication, your only option is
to be placed on life support, only if you have insurance and it pays for your hospital bill. The only
other way you can get life support is if you have the 2,000 to 4,000 dollars a month. I
understand it varies depending on your level of the care you patient is required but if you're real
sick, sick enough that you can't move or function properly, you should be able to get any type of
life support as long as you're improving. In another article I found written by an unknown author,
the author wrote, patient on life support requires around the clock care from a team of nurses
and physicians. The cost of life support includes the maintenance and use of hospital facilities
and the operation of life-sustaining machinery. Patients on life support are bedridden for months
or years at a time; therefore, preventive care and treatment of conditions, such as bed sores,
adds to the cost. People do come out of comas and even, more rarely, out of a persistent
vegetative state. Sometimes it happens long after most loved ones have lost hope, and it can
seem like a miracle. It may seem cold to say it, but doing this for a patient who is legally dead
takes up the time of medical professionals and sophisticated equipment that otherwise could be
available to ICU patients who have real hope of recovering from devastating injuries or
diseases .(Max Ehrenfreund). With that being said, patience have different time periods and
recover at different times and that should be talent into consideration before making the final
decision. Often times, doctors give up helping the patient before everything has been done for
that specific patient which is unfortunate.
In conclusion, life support is the primary use of specialized equipment to keep a persons
essential bodily functions working properly dependently. Although, many may be unfamiliar with
this specific topic, but the topic is very important because so many people and their family
members are affected by it. Life support is a medical treatment which requires payments;
however, family members experience various emotional and physical as well as financial strain
while their family member recovers. Thus, as previously stated, family members should not be
given different treatment because of their current financial standing, instead they should be
given a grace period to where they don't have to initially pay. In addition, choosing whether a
patient should be taken off life support or not is a sacred and significant decision and should not
be swayed or affected because of what the doctors have stated. Furthermore, the decision to
discontinue or continue life support should be made solely by family members, life support had
unfortunately taken the lives of many, thus it is important the right amount of time for the person
to recover is not based on finance or lack of space but because what is ethical.

What Is Life Support?" WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.

"Understanding Life Support Measures." Cleveland Clinic. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.

Wishes." The Washington Post. WP Company, 30 Dec. 2013. Web. 04 May 2017.

What Is Life Support?" WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.

"Understanding Life Support Measures." Cleveland Clinic. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.
Company, 30 Dec. 2013. Web. 04 May 2017.

Wishes." The Washington Post. WP Company, 30 Dec. 2013. Web. 04 May 2017.