"Over the last 12 hours, the patient's clinical condition has shown a further, progressive, and rapid deterioration," Monaldi Hospital reported in its bulletin regarding the condition of the child who received a damaged heart transplant two months ago .
At this morning's meeting—with Monaldi doctors, Dr. Luca Scognamiglio, the family's medical examiner, and the young patient's mother, as part of the Shared Care Planning process—the hospital announced it has proposed "a series of interventions aimed at avoiding the administration of therapies no longer relevant to the young patient's clinical condition. This process, therefore, aims to avert the risk of therapeutic obstinacy ."
In agreement with the family and the medical examiner appointed by them, the patient "will be administered exclusively life-saving therapies, as part of a process aimed at a progressive de-escalation of other therapeutic interventions ."
The little boy has now been hospitalized for 58 days and is in an irreversible coma . It's a mistake, the doctors explained, to talk about palliative care, as the patient is in a coma. Simply put, from now on—given the impossibility of a second transplant— "useless" therapies that could worsen the situation will be eliminated . And there will be no aggressive treatment.
The baby will not be removed from ECMO, the machine for extracorporeal respiration and circulation that has kept him alive for the past two months , a decision that would have an immediately lethal effect. However, other therapies that are no longer necessary, such as blood microfiltration, will be eliminated. The new therapy will now be planned according to the agreements and administered to the child.
(Unioneonline)
