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Hi, it’s Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com with another quick tip for families in intensive care.

Today, I have an email from Denise who says, “Hi, Patrik. Can the ICU team force us to take my mother off life support when we don’t want to?”

Well, thank you so much for your very succinct and very clear question. The short answer is no, they can’t. But what always boggles my mind is that families believe they need to give in to this. I’m glad you’re asking, but I can’t tell you how many families give in to the perceived power and the perceived authority of intensive care teams to kill their loved ones. It boggles my mind.

I mean, taking someone off life support without patient or family consent could be perceived as murder, could be perceived as euthanasia. Why would families in intensive care think that’s okay or that would be legal? So, when you look at most jurisdictions around the world, it is absolutely illegal taking patients off life support without patient or family consent. I can’t believe, again, how many families give in to that mindset.

I’ve worked in critical care nursing for 25 years all around the world in three different countries where I worked as a nurse manager for over 5 years. We’ve been consulting and advocating for families in intensive care since 2013 here at intensivecarehotline.com. We have saved many lives in situations like that. I’ve been on the phone as part of my consulting and advocacy to intensive care teams and reminded them, “Well, you can take a patient off life support, but you’ll have the courts running after you when families are prepared to take action,” and that is changing everything.

I’ve worked in intensive care. When I worked in intensive care, there have been situations where I’ve been asked as a bedside intensive care nurse, “Oh, can you stop life support on your night shift tonight at 10:00?” And I say, “No, because I’m not executing people. That’s not what I do.” So, you have to really think about things and interestingly enough, the biggest challenge for families in intensive care is simply that they don’t know what they don’t know. They don’t know what to look for. They don’t know what questions to ask. They don’t know their rights and they don’t know how to manage doctors and nurses in intensive care. 

It couldn’t be further from the truth when it comes to real versus perceived end of life situations, so you have to make a distinction when you have a loved one critically ill in intensive care and you are faced with intensive care teams wanting to withdraw treatment against your wish, whether it’s a real or a perceived end of life situation. I’ve made countless of videos about that.

So, what’s the difference between real and perceived end-of-life situations? A real end of life situation is no treatment, no equipment, no surgery, no medications, nothing will save your loved one’s life. The perceived end of life situation is there’s a perception that your loved one may die, and that process may be hastened if treatment is being withdrawn. But if treatment is not withdrawn, then your loved one may as well live. You have to go down these rabbit holes here because you are in a life-or-death situation that you simply can’t afford to get wrong. You can’t afford to get this wrong.

Also, I’ve made a video a couple of weeks ago with the title, “Where’s the hurry to end a critically ill patient’s life in intensive care?” Have you asked that question? Have you pondered that? Have you considered that question? I am always gobsmacked in terms of when families in intensive care just go along to get along and then they wonder why their loved one has died. You need to ask the right questions, and you need to get consulting and advocacy from Day 1 because you’ve entered very rugged territory that you simply don’t understand.

So, the short answer to Denise’s question is no, they can’t. The minute you challenge them, you will see that things will change very quickly. So, I hope that answers your question, Denise, and I hope that opens everyone’s eyes that is watching this. 

The minute you stand up to what you know is right, and the minute you stand up for your loved one in intensive care, you will see things change pretty quickly, but you need to actually stand up and not be intimidated by the “perceived power” of intensive care teams because their power is just that it’s perceived, it’s not real. You will see that you will get outcomes when you actually do the work and when you take full responsibility for everything that happens. You need to take full responsibility for outcomes by asking the right questions, by getting a second opinion, which is what we provide here at intensivecarehotline.com.

Like I said, I can confidently say that we have saved many lives with our consulting and advocacy. You can verify that at intensivecarehotline.com on our testimonial section. You can verify it on our intensivecarehotline.com podcast section where we have to client interviews. We have helped hundreds of clients and members over the years here at intensivecarehotline.com, changing the trajectory of their loved one’s lives in intensive care to a more positive one, making sure they make informed decisions, have peace of mind, control, power, influence, making sure their loved one gets best care and treatment always.

Because we’ve helped hundreds of clients and members over the years, that’s why we created a membership for families of critically ill patients in intensive care. You can become a member if you go to intensivecarehotline.com. Call us on one of the numbers on the top of our website or simply send us an email to [email protected] with your questions. If you want to become a member, go to intensivecarehotline.com, click on the membership link or go to intensivecaresupport.org directly. In the membership, you have access to me and my team, 24 hours a day, in a membership area and via email, and we answer all questions intensive care related. In the membership, you also have exclusive access to 21 eBooks and 21 videos that I’ve personally written and recorded. Those videos and eBooks will help you to make informed decisions, have peace of mind, control, power, and influence, making sure your loved one gets basic care and treatment.

I also do one-on-one consulting and advocacy over the phone, Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp, whichever medium works best for you. I talk to you and your families directly. I make sure I handhold you through this once in a lifetime situation that you simply can’t afford to get wrong. I also talk to doctors and nurses directly. When I talk to doctors and nurses directly, I ask all the questions that you haven’t even considered asking but must be asked when you have a loved one critically ill in intensive care.

I also represent you in family meetings with intensive care teams.

We also do medical record reviews in real time so that you can get a second opinion in real time. We also do medical record reviews after intensive care if you have unanswered questions, if you need closure, or if you are suspecting medical negligence. 

All of that you get at intensivecarehotline.com. Call us on one of the numbers on the top of our website or simply send us an email to [email protected] with your questions.

If you like my videos, subscribe to my YouTube channel for regular updates for families in intensive care. Click the like button, click the notification bell, comment below what you want to see next, what questions and insights you have from this video, and share the video with your friends and families.

I also do a weekly YouTube live where I answer your questions live on the show and you will get notification for the YouTube live if you are a subscriber to my YouTube channel or if you are a subscriber to our intensivecarehotline.com email newsletter at intensivecarehotline.com.

Thank you so much for watching.

This is Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com and I will talk to you in a few days.

Take care for now.

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