| Theme | Initiation, Maintenance and Discontinuation of Dialysis Therapy | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Termination of dialysis -- Current trends in Japan and related ethical problems | |
| Publish Date | 1998/07 | |
| Author | Seiji Ohira | Department of Surgery, Kidney Center, Nikko Memorial Hospital |
| [ Summary ] | In recent years, the termination of dialysis for various reasons in patients requiring chronic dialysis for life support has been on the increase. Among the reasons for termination are: 1) Serious complications that make it physically impossible to perform extracorporeal circulation or intraperitoneal lavage as needed in dialysis treatment. 2) Dialysis is performable yet the patient refuses the treatment. 3) The patient is unaware of the situation, lacks the power of judgement or a third party acting in good faith decides on the termination of dialysis. Whatever the situation, when it comes time to make the final decision those in the medical community as well as the family are extremely troubled. There are many problems in Japan where advance directives are not yet the norm, a number of facets are considered here. |
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