Complex Decisions in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

COMPLEX DECISIONS IN THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (ICU)

Dr, LaBuzetta is going to talk to us about some of the very specific treatment decisions patient advocates for an incapacitated friend or family member often are asked to make in the ICU. Does your loved one want a ventilator, a tracheostomy, dialysis? What are the consequences of choosing one of these treatments? Does choice of one inevitably lead to another? What kind of questions might you want to ask the doctor about these treatments? If you choose none of these, what kind of treatment can your loved one expect?

Expert Speaker:
Jamie LaBuzetta, M.D., Neurologist
Dr. LaBuzetta is an internationally trained clinician researcher. She completed her medical training at UC San Diego, and pursued post-graduate research at Oxford and Cambridge Universities before embarking on her neurology training in Boston. She once again returned to San Diego for specialized neurocritical care training, and is now part of the UC San Diego faculty in the Department of Neurosciences. She has authored articles and books on ethics and decision making, and her current research interests focus on post-intensive care syndrome, pharmacological cognitive enhancement in brain injury, and neuroethics.