What should families consider when deciding for incompetent patient?

Abstract

"There are actually two audiences to the question posed and it is necessary to first lay the context of any response to the question. The first audience would be the attending physicians of incompetent patients such as the lady in our case. Half a century ago, attending physicians were given much latitude to decide on what was to be done when faced with such a scenario. In the past, there was great emphasis on the preservation of life at all costs, perhaps because there was a presumption by doctors that human beings in general, would choose to live regardless of their physical state"