A doctor with expertise in palliative care has urged Brits to talk to vulnerable loved ones about their dying wishes as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
Kathryn Mannix, who has spent her career working with people who have incurable illnesses, said she was asked a question about the best ways to care for those diagnosed with Covid-19.
But she said it would vary on the initial health of the relative and admitted those with underling conditions are more likely to die from the virus than those in healthier states anyway.
Many of those infected have been put on ventilators but, with the NHS stretched and struggling to find available machines, Dr Mannix suggested some patients may be better off without ventilation.
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“If the ICU consultant believes the patient would tolerate ventilation, recover from their lung disease, be able to get back off the ventilator again, and recover fully from the viral lung damage and damage to other organs, then that person will be offered a ventilator.
"But of course, there's no guarantee that this treatment will succeed, it's about weighing up probabilities,” Dr Mannix posted on her professional Facebook account.
“If the ICU consultant thinks that death is not avoidable, and that use of a ventilator won't save the person's life but might well make dying take longer and be more unpleasant, then that person won't be offered a ventilator.
“Between these two scenarios, there's a tricky third scenario. The person is sick enough to die without a ventilator, but also so damaged either by the virus or by other conditions they already had, that have become worse because of this episode of being so unwell, that it's uncertain how well they would be if they survive.
“For these people, it's really important for the ICU consultant to know whether the patient would accept that risk. But the patient won't be in any fit state to discuss it.
“THIS IS WHY WE NEED TO MAKE OUR WISHES KNOWN IN ADVANCE. The consultant will ask whether you've expressed opinions.”
More than 1,400 Brits have died after testing positive for coronavirus. However, the survival rate has been strong, Dr Mannix said.
She stressed in the impassioned post that many Brits will recover from the virus quickly without further care.
She said: "Most of us will catch the virus at some point and have a rough week or two before we get better.
"Many of us will struggle with a virus-induced lung inflammation that may be copable with at home.
"We'll cough, we'll have some breathlessness and it sounds like it hurts, too. But we'll get through.
"Some of us won't be able to breathe well enough to get sufficient oxygen for our needs.
"This is when making choices ahead of time starts to become important, because falling oxygen levels in our blood makes it hard to think clearly and hard to stay awake and make big decisions."
