Heroic Treatment for a Medical Hero
January 10, 2007
In an ironic twist, Dr. Michael DeBakey, the 97 year-old heart surgery pioneer, suddenly developed a dissecting aortic aneurysm last year. Using techniques that DeBakey himself had developed, doctors resuscitated him, against his express written request, and performed a grueling seven-hour operation to save his life.
Almost a year later, after many complications and a hospital bill of over $1 million, many are questioning the ethics of the intervention. It seems that the physicians couldn’t quite bring themselves to honor the “do not resuscitate” order of one of their heroes.
