Treat or Not to Treat: Ethical Dilemma on Acute DVT

Ethical dilemmas often occur in the practice of medicine. Practitioners in extended and long-term care facilities are often driven to these settings by their desire to improve quality of life and to alleviate suffering for frail older adults. There are times when the wishes of patients and family contradicts with providers’ first instincts regarding treatment. We present a case of such an ethical dilemma between a physician and family regarding a patient with severe dementia and an acute lower extremity DVT.