During the twentieth century the primary causes of death in the United States changed. In the 1800s and early 1900s infectious (communicable) diseases such as influenza, tuberculosis, and diphtheria were the leading causes of death. These have been replaced by chronic diseases; heart disease, cancer (malignant neoplasms), and stroke (cerebrovascular diseases) were the three leading causes of death…
During the twentieth century in the United States, the process of dying shifted from the familiar surroundings of home to the hospital. While hospitalization ensures that the benefits of modern medicine are readily available, many patients dread leaving the comfort of their homes and losing, to some extent, control over their end-of-life decisions. Between 1989 and 1994, in an effort to "im…
Life-sustaining treatments, also called life support, can take over many functions of an ailing body. Under normal conditions, when a patient suffers from a treatable illness, life support is a temporary measure used only until the body can function on its own. The ongoing debate about prolonging life-sustaining treatments concerns the incurably ill and permanently unconscious. Cardiopulmonary res…
A coma is a deep state of unconsciousness caused by damage to the brain, often from illness or trauma. Most people in a coma recover within a few days, but some do not. Figure 4.2 shows the possible outcomes for those who do not recover from a coma quickly. For some, their brain dies. That is, they irreversibly lose all cerebral and brainstem function. Table 2.1 in Chapter 2 lists the clinical cri…
Most organ and tissue donations are from people who have died as a result of brain injury and subsequent brain death. Once death is pronounced, the body is kept on mechanical support (if possible) to maintain the organs until it is determined whether the person will be a donor. There are some organ and tissue donations that can come from living people. For example, it is possible to lead a healthy…
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