Editing Pacemaker (section)

=== End-of-life care and pacemaker deactivation ===
A panel of the [[Heart Rhythm Society]], a US specialist organization based in Washington, DC, deemed that it was legal and ethical to honor requests by patients, or by those with legal authority to make decisions for patients, to deactivate implanted cardiac devices. Lawyers say that the legal situation is similar to removing a feeding tube, though {{As of|2010|lc=y}} there was no legal precedent involving pacemakers in the United States. A patient in many jurisdictions (including the US) is deemed to have a right to refuse or discontinue treatment, including a pacemaker that keeps them alive. Physicians have a right to refuse to turn it off, but are advised by the HRS panel that they should refer the patient to a physician who will.<ref>{{cite web |title=Heart devices can be turned off near end of life |url=https://amednews.com/article/20100531/profession/305319943/4/ |website=amednews.com |date=May 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024071522/https://amednews.com/article/20100531/profession/305319943/4/ |archive-date= Oct 24, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hrsonline.org/documents/end-life-and-heart-rhythm-devices/download|title=End of Life and Heart Rhythm Devices|publisher=Heart Rhythm Society|year=2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231023164918/https://www.hrsonline.org/documents/end-life-and-heart-rhythm-devices/download |archive-date= Oct 23, 2023 }}</ref> Some patients consider that hopeless, debilitating conditions, such as severe strokes or late-stage dementia, can cause so much suffering that they would prefer not to prolong their lives with supportive measures.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Butler |first1=Katy |title=What Broke My Father's Heart |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/magazine/20pacemaker-t.html |work=The New York Times |date=18 June 2010 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240402125756/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/magazine/20pacemaker-t.html |archive-date= Apr 2, 2024 }}</ref>