Paliatívna medicína a liečba bolesti 1e/2015

Ethical questions of artificial enteral feeding in palliative care

This article points at ethical aspects of enteral tube feeding in specific environment of palliative care. We are going to clarify vital moments while looking for proportionate means of reaching what is the best for a patient in his/herself complexity. Also we will mention some short teachings of Church about a final stage of human life. Together they will help us to think about feeding tubes used for patients in their final stage from ethical point of view.

Keywords: enteral tube feeding, palliative care, proportionate medical procedures, teaching of church.