Réflexions éthiques pluridisciplinaires autour de l'arrêt de l'alimentation par sonde de gastrostomie en gériatrie : à propos de deux cas

Nutrition frequently raises questions in geriatric institutions, because of the patients' profiles. We report two clinical observations of hospitalized patients, one in a university hospital disoriented old people's home, the other in a post-stroke rehabilitation unit. Both problems concerned probe gastrostomy feeding. Multidisciplinary discussions are around ethical reflections in medical practice, “euthanasia”, Leonetti's law (the right to refuse treatment), decision-making, and the indications for probe gastrostomy feeding.