Death, dying and revival: ethical aspects

Abstract

The time when restoration of an organism’s vital functions seemed more a fantasy than a reality has passed. The question of when damage incompatible with life occurs in a dying organism still remains. Nowadays, the need to fight unnecessary death is occupying a more and more dominant place in our concept of the last stages of life. The increasing number of resuscitation units in our hospitals points to the fact that physicians understand the use of organized measures aimed at developing resuscitation help, and do not consider it possible to treat patients in terminal states without such measures. Emphasis is placed on a complete and adequate restoration of neurologic regulation of physiologic functions. With this has come the development of resuscitation methods, the understanding of the scientific facts of that period of life and identification of those processes which lead to irreversible death of tissues and those which can be considered reversible with resuscitation Physicians must continue to struggle for the life of a dying person and help him in every way they can till the last patient’s breath. This is why any form of euthanasia contradicts a physician’s outlook. Euthanasia is something opposite to resuscitation. The aim of euthanasia is to alleviate terminal sufferings of a dying person by hastening the moment of death, while the aim of resuscitation is to restore extinguishing life of a still viable organism. Modern medicine has at its disposal a wide spectrum of means and methods to create a more balanced psychic state of a dying patient and simultaneously render him medical help. Investigation of death and revival has become an essential part of modern biology and medicine, being at the same time the essence of reanimatology. These pathophysiological phenomena have not yet been solved and death is still a mystery. Undoubtedly, its comprehension will not only deepen out theoretical ideas about life and death, but also arm investigators - resuscitators - with new approaches and methods to preserve and restore life’. The problems of resuscitation and the light for life of a dying person are common.