Life Support

If you understand how specific treatments may affect your quality of life, you can decide which ones you’d choose or refuse. You may want to talk to your healthcare provider about the possible benefits and risks of treatments. The chance of good results from these therapies varies based on each individual clinical situation and can be very hard to predict. Medical treatment, if your life is in danger, falls into 3 main categories.

Life supporting

• This care keeps your heart and lungs going when they can no longer work on their own.

• CPR restarts your heart and lungs if they stop working.

• A respirator (or ventilator) keeps you breathing. Air is pumped into your lungs through a tube that’s put into your windpipe.

Life sustaining

• This care keeps you alive longer when you have an illness that can’t be cured.

• Tube feeding or TPN (total parenteral nutrition) provides food and fluids through a tube or IV (intravenous). It is given if you can’t chew or swallow on your own.

• Dialysis is a kidney machine that cleans your blood when your kidneys can no longer work on their own.

Life enhancing

• This care controls pain and discomfort, such as nausea or trouble breathing. This type of care is not designed to prolong your life, but to enhance quality of life. Nothing is done to keep you alive longer.

• Hospice care is comfort care. It might provide food and fluids by mouth or help with bathing. Hospice care is given during the last stages of a terminal illness.

• Strong pain medicine can be given to help keep you comfortable.