Since the Decedent could not be placed back on a blood thinner because of his recent hemorrhage, Dr. Doer suggested the Decedent have a filter inserted into his right groin by a radiologist to prevent further clots. The family agreed and the Decedent was returned to his room and prepared for surgery. .
Dr. Doers was very clear with the Decedent and the family informing them that having massive pulmonary emboli was a serious condition. He explained that the Decedent may not survive the surgery to be performed by the radiologist. During this time, Dr. Doers asked the patient about resuscitation with CPR, defibrillation, and a breathing machine, the patient sat up and replied "No" and waived his hand in response to not wanting heroic measures (Wheelock v. Doers, 2010). In the presence of the patient, Dr. Doers discussed with the family the wishes of the patient. Although the family heard Mr. Wheelock share his wishes, they expressed they wanted life sustaining measurements taken if needed. They stated Mr. Wheelock had a previously filed living will that stated the same. Since Dr. Doer's deemed Mr. Wheelock to be appropriate and cognitive enough to make his own decisions, he wrote a DNR order and placed the appropriate paperwork in the chart. .
Later that evening Mr. Wheelock was taken to surgery and the filter was placed. Mr. Wheelock tolerated the procedure well. He was brought back to his room for recovery. The radiologist ordered bed rest for 2 hours. Mr. Wheelock asked to get out of bed to use bathroom 30 minutes prior to bed rest being complete. Nursing staff allowed Mr. Wheelock to ambulate to bathroom. he CNA noticed the oxygen tubing was too short. He stepped out of room to bring in more tubing. While Mr. Wheelock was attempting to use the bathroom, he became extremely short of breath. The family called for help. Upon arriving back in the room, the CNA found him collapsed on the floor. The family stated the CNA reconnected the oxygen and returned him back to bed.
