Spanish term (edited): M�todo de mantenimiento de la vida

**Life-sustaining** procedure
A **life-sustaining** procedure is any medical treatment or procedure without which a patient cannot survive. This does not include procedures that your physician may order to provide care or comfort, or reduce pain. Questions about the kinds of procedures that are often used when illness is severe, especially when recovery is unlikely, should be answered by your doctor.

Some examples of **life-sustaining treatment** are:
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR): a medical procedure that may involve forceful pressure on the chest, the administration of drugs or electric shock to restore the heartbeat at the time of cardiac arrest.
Ventilator support: a method of assisting the patient who cannot breathe naturally, using a ventilator machine to move air into the lungs.
Artificial nutrition and hydration: a method of feeding food and water to a person who cannot eat or drink. A person may be fed through a tube inserted into the stomach directly or via the nose and throat, or through an intravenous tube.
www.lifespan.org/Services/Ethics/SFYB/terms.htm

What are "life-sustaining" treatments?
"Life-sustaining" refers to any artificial method of continuing life. These methods include artificial breathing; feeding tubes; surgical procedures; dialysis; cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which includes restarting the heart with manual compressions or electrical shock; and medications (other than those for comfort). It is possible for you to specify which life-sustaining treatments you will and will not accept, and under which circumstances.
www.somersetmedicalcenter.com/body.cfm?id=509 - 38k