How do You Want to Die?

No one want to die too soon, but when asked, a person would want to die quickly and painlessly. Though an implantable defibrillator may extend the life of a patient with an increased risk of arrhythmia, it alleviates the “chance” of dying quickly. Instead, the patient lives longer but may end up passing away from congestive heart failure with the lungs slowly filling with fluids and can be physically agonizing.

Defibrillators offer many amazing benefits and they are highly effective. Studies have shown that they prolong life in a significant number of cardiac patients and the implantation procedure is safe. And defibrillators can, in theory, be compatible with a quick death: When a patient’s condition spirals downward, the patient can choose to deactivate the device, though rarely does a patient choose this option.

See Sandeep Jauhar, How do You Want to Die?, New York Times, July 28, 2018.

Special thanks to Lewis Saret (Attorney, Washington, D.C.) for bringing this article to my attention.