40 year old Gay man. Health, Medicine, Nursing Case Study

You are an ICU hospitalist PA taking care of a 40-year-old gay man with AIDS who is intubated following his third bout of pneumocystis pneumonia. His condition is steadily worsening,and he has not responded to appropriate antibiotic therapy. The patient's longtimepartner, Richard, has provided asigned durable power of attorney (DPOA) and states that ifhis partner’scondition becomes futile. You consult with the ICU attending and jointly decide that ongoing intubation is futile. You consult withRichard and decide to remove the patient from the ventilator to allow him to die in the morning. That night thepatient's parents arrive from overseas. Theyare devout Muslims and threaten a lawsuit if the ventilator is withdrawn. Prior to the arrival of the ICU attending in the morning, you are in part responsible for dealing with grieving family members. How will you comfort and advise the loved ones involved without being dismissive of either side.What would you say?Some keyquestions to consider are:

Who is the legal decision maker here? What are some of the pertinent social influences in this case? How might the other staff members involved in the patient’s care who may be able to help?