Page 41 - 2018EthEBK

In recent years, cardiac-death donation has been
aggressively promoted because of shortage of organ donors.
They claim that 5 minutes of cardiac arrest means cardiac death,
and the organs could be harvested from the “terminal”
patients” after 5 minutes of cardiac arrest.

However, in our country, there are 8 more categories of
non-cancer chronic diseases which are included in hospice care,
in addition to patients with terminal cancer or with
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. When these non-cancer chronic
diseases are involved, end-of-life care becomes more
complicated.

Patients with non-cancer chronic diseases have not
affirmed the “terminal” or “end-of-life” state of his or her
illness. In fact, we, medical professionals, also could not
predict anyone’s life span in an accurate way.

What is “Terminal”? What is “Non-Terminal”? Are
“Terminal and Non-Terminal” issues scientific or religious
ones? This is beyond the scope of this article.

Even if we had all the elements, such as DNAs, RNAs, all
nutrients, etc. We, human beings, including medical doctors,
still cannot compose lives. Is the secret of life in God’s hand?

107 年度•醫學倫理•人文醫學•心得 29