My father had a stroke in March, has attrial fib (had a defibrillator implanted in January)congestive heart failure, had 2 mild heart attacks in the past, most recently 1 1/2 years ago, had a quadruple bypass after the second heart attack. He is cognitive after the stoke but has apraxia and asphagia. He is on a feeding tube to suplement his nutrition as he has just recently been able to swallow some pureed foods. He has many health issues. He is currently being monitored for a tiny bleed in his brain and tachycardia. What I'm fearful of is him having a heart attack and the defibrillator kicking in and keeping him going. The family, knowing his wishes, have submitted a dnr on him, but my question is, would the defibrillator keep bringing him back (and causing him to suffer more) if he were to have another heart attack?
posted on
Fri, 14 Mar 2014