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Covid-19: unvaccinated people should be able to say whether or not they want to be resuscitated, says Professor Grimaldi

2022-01-02T08:36:20.016Z


In a column in the Journal du Dimanche, the professor emeritus at the CHU Pitié-Salpêtrière evokes the question of the sorting of patients induced by the fifth wave. He calls on the unvaccinated to "consistency."


Faced with the influx of Covid-19 patients in intensive care, and the question of the triage of patients, it would be necessary to be able to systematically advise unvaccinated adults to write advance directives to say whether or not they wish to be resuscitated, estimates in a tribune in

the Sunday Journal

Professor André Grimaldi, one of the figures in the defense of the public hospital.

Read also Deep ethical questions raised by the "sorting" of patients

"

The question posed by the current 5th wave and the announced 6th wave is once again that of sorting out patients to be admitted to intensive care

", writes this emeritus professor in diabetology from the Parisian hospital of Pitié-Salpétrière, recalling that "

d Now, the activation of the white plans

leads to postponing operations and non-emergency hospitalizations

to give priority to Covid patients who must be intubated and ventilated

”. The professor also recalls that according to him the question of the 500,000 unvaccinated people over 80 years old is "

a real-false problem

", because if they contract a serious form of the virus, most of them will not be able to not be resuscitated because it would fall under a "

unreasonable relentless treatment

”.

It is useful to remember that caregivers treat according to the needs of patients, without any other consideration, that is to say without involving their judgment on the political and religious convictions of their patients or on their beliefs or representations or on their health behaviors, farsighted or not, observant or not,

”he emphasizes.

Advance directives

Doctors take the Hippocratic Oath for this.

This does not mean that they do not have a 'moral' judgment, but that this judgment must not intervene in their relationship with the patient and influence their decisions,

”he recalls.

"

But this ethical reminder does not erase the question of sorting when there is only one bed for two patients both under intensive care

".

"

Which one to give priority to?

It is up to caregivers to decide collegially, but it should be up to learned societies, independent agencies, ethics committees and, beyond, society as a whole and its elected officials to debate the principles which should guide them. caregivers

”, continues the doctor.

Read also Covid-19: the Canadian government wants to suspend unemployment benefits for the unvaccinated

This is why in his eyes, "

it would be good to systematically advise any adult person refusing to be vaccinated to write advance directives to say whether or not they wish to be resuscitated in the event of a severe form of Covid

".

"

Shouldn't a person claiming the free choice not to be vaccinated consistently assume their free choice not to be resuscitated?"

“Asks the practitioner.

A column signed by about fifteen doctors and published at the end of December in the newspaper

Le Monde

already raised the question of taking into account the vaccination status in the prioritization of Covid patients in intensive care.

Source: lefigaro

All tech articles on 2022-01-02

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