Matches in SemOpenAlex for { <https://semopenalex.org/work/W2153133057> ?p ?o ?g. }
Showing items 1 to 61 of
61
with 100 items per page.
- W2153133057 abstract "His head had hit the windshield with such force that it caused his brain toslaminto the frontofhis skull.Now his brain was swelling, without any room to expand. This young man already had received emergency surgery to repair several internal organs thathadbeen injured in the car wreck, but now all eyes were focusedonhis rising intracranial pressure. If thebrainwere to swell toomuch, vital areas like the respiratorycenter couldbecompromised.While I didnotknow the young man’sname, I later learned thathewasonly twenty-two, and had been involved in a serious MVA (multiple vehicle accident). For as long as I walk this Earth, I never will forget standing in that room in the surgical intensive careunit (SICU)ofVanderbiltUniversity Medical Center, watching his intracranial pressuremonitordisplaynumbers that could only mean the worst. Then I watched quietly as the youngmandrewhis final breath—my first close-upexperiencewithdeath. Over the next couple of years, I would watch literally hundreds of individuals draw that finalbreath.Therewasalways anodd feeling, knowing that justmoments earlier the individualwasalive, andthatnowtheir eyesneveragainwouldseeabeautifulsunrise orsunset. Inafinalactof respectanddignity, weplacedthedeadbodiescarefullyintowhite plastic shrouds, and then we gently loaded themontospecial gurneysandrolled them down into the cold,darkmorgue.Each time weaffixedtoe tagsandzippedthebodybags closed, Iwas compelled to consider the value andimportanceofhumanlife.Diditmatter if the person was old, or young? Had the manner inwhich theydied altered the importance of their death? What, exactly, was thevalueofahumanlife?Andwasitchanging? During my tenure in the SICU and the EmergencyDepartment, Iwatchedas lifewas cut shortover suchtrivial thingsasanamebrand sports jacketor abagofpotato chips. Iobservedphysicianshastilyattemptingto obtainacourtorderagainstapregnantmother in an effort todeliver a baby via cesarean because itwas in fetaldistress (themother’s excuse for refusing theprocedurewas that shedidnotwanttohavescarsonherbody). Contrast thatwith those countless scenesof coupleswhowere forced to realize that their pregnancyhadbeencutshortbyanunavoidable miscarriage. For many, that single embryo—no longer attached to its “lifeline”— representedyears of trying togetpregnant. Arm-in-arm, with tears blinding their path, those couples would make their way toward theparkinglot. Onmore thanoneoccasion I listenedas individuals,bothyoungandold,beggeddoctors and nurses to just let them die. Some evenaskedforhelp toendthepainandmiserytheywereexperiencing. Iwatchedasthe cost of keeping someone alive was weighed against the failed likelihoodof a goodprognosis.TheHippocraticOathtowhichphysicians subscribecontains thestatements:" @default.
- W2153133057 created "2016-06-24" @default.
- W2153133057 creator A5042328771 @default.
- W2153133057 date "2002-01-01" @default.
- W2153133057 modified "2023-09-24" @default.
- W2153133057 title "THE INHERENT VALUE OF HUMAN LIFE" @default.
- W2153133057 cites W1520892655 @default.
- W2153133057 cites W1985540447 @default.
- W2153133057 cites W2014244802 @default.
- W2153133057 cites W2064878657 @default.
- W2153133057 cites W2331678299 @default.
- W2153133057 cites W2586336424 @default.
- W2153133057 cites W2751372848 @default.
- W2153133057 cites W56702006 @default.
- W2153133057 hasPublicationYear "2002" @default.
- W2153133057 type Work @default.
- W2153133057 sameAs 2153133057 @default.
- W2153133057 citedByCount "0" @default.
- W2153133057 crossrefType "journal-article" @default.
- W2153133057 hasAuthorship W2153133057A5042328771 @default.
- W2153133057 hasConcept C122980154 @default.
- W2153133057 hasConcept C141071460 @default.
- W2153133057 hasConcept C15744967 @default.
- W2153133057 hasConcept C545542383 @default.
- W2153133057 hasConcept C61434518 @default.
- W2153133057 hasConcept C71924100 @default.
- W2153133057 hasConcept C77805123 @default.
- W2153133057 hasConceptScore W2153133057C122980154 @default.
- W2153133057 hasConceptScore W2153133057C141071460 @default.
- W2153133057 hasConceptScore W2153133057C15744967 @default.
- W2153133057 hasConceptScore W2153133057C545542383 @default.
- W2153133057 hasConceptScore W2153133057C61434518 @default.
- W2153133057 hasConceptScore W2153133057C71924100 @default.
- W2153133057 hasConceptScore W2153133057C77805123 @default.
- W2153133057 hasLocation W21531330571 @default.
- W2153133057 hasOpenAccess W2153133057 @default.
- W2153133057 hasPrimaryLocation W21531330571 @default.
- W2153133057 hasRelatedWork W2005186307 @default.
- W2153133057 hasRelatedWork W2016471983 @default.
- W2153133057 hasRelatedWork W2045500528 @default.
- W2153133057 hasRelatedWork W2045833283 @default.
- W2153133057 hasRelatedWork W2075736956 @default.
- W2153133057 hasRelatedWork W2081119636 @default.
- W2153133057 hasRelatedWork W2089879315 @default.
- W2153133057 hasRelatedWork W2094545524 @default.
- W2153133057 hasRelatedWork W2171731607 @default.
- W2153133057 hasRelatedWork W2183392145 @default.
- W2153133057 hasRelatedWork W2189296700 @default.
- W2153133057 hasRelatedWork W2324309952 @default.
- W2153133057 hasRelatedWork W2415887071 @default.
- W2153133057 hasRelatedWork W2417495319 @default.
- W2153133057 hasRelatedWork W2426161161 @default.
- W2153133057 hasRelatedWork W2468570367 @default.
- W2153133057 hasRelatedWork W2469896011 @default.
- W2153133057 hasRelatedWork W2481300769 @default.
- W2153133057 hasRelatedWork W300373919 @default.
- W2153133057 hasRelatedWork W1965766048 @default.
- W2153133057 isParatext "false" @default.
- W2153133057 isRetracted "false" @default.
- W2153133057 magId "2153133057" @default.
- W2153133057 workType "article" @default.