Ethical consideration in the use of high-dependency technology

This paper considers the ethical implications of employing high-dependency technology in a clinical setting. A case study of a patient in a persistent vegetative state in an intensive care unit is used to highlight four of the moral dilemmas which arise for the patient, their families and medical staff: persistent vegetative state and brain death; artificial nutrition and hydration, extraordinary versus ordinary means, and the distinction between killing and allowing to die. The paper describes both sides of the debate in these controversies, and the summary is the author´s own interpretation of the case