Neurobioética en el cuidado del paciente neurocrítico en Cuidado Intensivo

Abstract

The neurocritical patient suffers from severe dysfunction of the central nervous system, generated by the alteration in his brain structure and function due to changes in his neuronal connections, neurotransmitters and autoregulation secondary to edema, ischemia or cerebral hemorrhage.

Neurobioethics is a variant of personalistic ethics that sees the person as unique and exceptional, applying the principle of defense of physical life, which promotes the integral and dual brain-mind good. The attention of the neurocritical patient in Intensive Care depends on the bioethical conduct «moral improvement» of the person who assumes and performs it. It is the interaction of the doctor who is conscious and the patient who is unconscious without autonomy. That is, it will depend on the doctor-patient relationship, the medical act, professional autonomy, not so much on the autonomy of the patient.

In order to carry out a critical reflection and a reflexive analysis for an argumentation based on the ethics and science of neurobioethics applied to the neurocritical patient in Intensive Care, a non-systematic review of neurobioethics, neuroscience and neuroethics applied to the patient was carried out. The objective is to raise ethical considerations of neurobioethics in the care of the neurocritical patient in Intensive Care.