Doctors meanwhile gave the man basic care to buy time while they considered the life-or-death choice. The consultants advised the doctors to honour the tattoo, suggesting “it was most reasonable to infer that the tattoo expressed an authentic preference.” Doctors opted to follow that advice, and the man died during the night. Tattoo artists need medical license: Japanese courtSocial workers eventually found a copy of the man’s “out-of-hospital” DNR order from the southern US state’s health department – and doctors were [relieved’ that it was consistent with the tattoo. The Miami medical team had hesitated due to a 2012 case of a 59-year-old man who was hospitalized with the message ‘DNR’ on his chest. The patient later confirmed the tattooed message was not indicative of his wishes, saying it was simply the result of a bet made during his youth while intoxicated.

Source: The Express Tribune December 02, 2017 04:52 UTC