Can A Terminally Ill Person Ask To Be Put Into

Posted on Fri, 31 Jan 2020

Fri, 31 Jan 2020 Answered on

Last reviewed on

Question : Can a terminally ill person ask to be put into a medically induced coma until they die and would they feel any type of pain?

Answered by Dr. Vaishalee Punj (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
only in special cases

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to Ask A Doctor service.

I have reviewed your query and here is my advice.

As per medical ethics followed in USA, it is not advised to induce coma with medicines in terminally ill patients. In cases of risk of severe brain damage, the doctor maybe convinced enough that inducing a coma will save the brain from further damage, and other options are not working, such a coma maybe considered. Such a coma is induced for a short time of few days and continuous monitoring of the patient is required in ICU.
In coma they will not feel any pain.

Hope this helps. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Dr Vaishalee

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Vaishalee Punj (35 minutes later)

I know they won’t feel any physical pain but what if they stop breathing, will they feel suffocation or will they not be aware of anything while they are sleep? I know when I went to the dentist I was put to sleep and had no recollection of anything happening, is that similar to being unconscious and heavily sedated?

Answered by Dr. Vaishalee Punj (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:
They will not feel suffocation during coma

Detailed Answer:
Hi again

They an easily slip from coma into death. So they will neither feel any suffocation nor will they be able to resist suffocation during coma. Yes anaethesia (unconscious and sedated) is very similar to coma but the medicines used are different. The medicines used for coma are stronger and produce more side effects.

Dr Vaishalee

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar