Emergency physicians and physician-assisted suicide, part II: Emergency care for patients who have attempted physician-assisted suicide

Part I of this article reviewed key terms, events, and arguments in the hea ted national debate regarding physician-assisted suicide (PAS). Part II of the article examines the role of emergency physicians in caring for patient s who present to the emergency department after an incomplete or unsuccessf ul attempt at PAS. The article considers the analogous cases of emergency c are for other patients who have attempted suicide and care for terminally i ll patients who refuse life-sustaining treatment. Morally relevant features of these situations are identified, including the decisionmaking capacity and the choices of the patient, the opinions of the patient's family or oth er surrogate decisionmakers, the presenting condition and medical history o f the patient, the nature of the patient's suicide attempt, and the physici an's own moral convictions. The article evaluates the 3 management options: aggressive intervention to preserve life, palliative care only, and assist ance in completing the suicide. It concludes with several general recommend ations for addressing these situations.