The Mr. Martinez Case Study
Shelby N Ashcraft
Capella University
PHI3200 Ethics in Health Care
Professor Woodbury
February 2025
, Case Study
Mr. Martinez was a seventy-five-year-old chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patient. He was
in the hospital because of an upper respiratory tract infection. He and his wife had requested that
CPR not be performed should he require it. A DNR order was written in the charts. In his room
on the third floor, he was being maintained with antibiotics, fluids, and oxygen and seemed to be
doing better. However, Mr. Martinez's oxygen was inadvertently turned up, and this caused him
to go into respiratory failure. When found by the therapist, he was in terrible distress and lay
gasping in his bed. (Case Study: Mr. Martinez, n.d.)
Patient Advanced Directives
Patient Advanced Directives are legal documents providing instruction for medical care. These
directives typically do not go into effect until the patient no longer possesses the ability to
communicate and/or make their own decisions regarding their care. The two most common
advanced directives are the living will and durable power of attorney.
A Living Will is a legal document that provides specific instructions to medical providers about
how and what care a patient wishes to receive if the patient is unable to make decisions about
medical treatment. Additionally, a Living Will specifies medical treatment that a patient does not
wish to have and under which conditions each of their choices applies.
Durable Power of Attorney is a legal document that names a health care proxy that the patient
chooses. The appointed health care proxy can make health decisions on behalf of the patient if
they are unable to communicate with health care professionals themselves. A health care proxy
can be chose in addition to or in lieu of a living will; however, it is important that the chose
health care proxy is familiar with and agrees to carry out the wishes and values of the patient.
Shelby N Ashcraft
Capella University
PHI3200 Ethics in Health Care
Professor Woodbury
February 2025
, Case Study
Mr. Martinez was a seventy-five-year-old chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patient. He was
in the hospital because of an upper respiratory tract infection. He and his wife had requested that
CPR not be performed should he require it. A DNR order was written in the charts. In his room
on the third floor, he was being maintained with antibiotics, fluids, and oxygen and seemed to be
doing better. However, Mr. Martinez's oxygen was inadvertently turned up, and this caused him
to go into respiratory failure. When found by the therapist, he was in terrible distress and lay
gasping in his bed. (Case Study: Mr. Martinez, n.d.)
Patient Advanced Directives
Patient Advanced Directives are legal documents providing instruction for medical care. These
directives typically do not go into effect until the patient no longer possesses the ability to
communicate and/or make their own decisions regarding their care. The two most common
advanced directives are the living will and durable power of attorney.
A Living Will is a legal document that provides specific instructions to medical providers about
how and what care a patient wishes to receive if the patient is unable to make decisions about
medical treatment. Additionally, a Living Will specifies medical treatment that a patient does not
wish to have and under which conditions each of their choices applies.
Durable Power of Attorney is a legal document that names a health care proxy that the patient
chooses. The appointed health care proxy can make health decisions on behalf of the patient if
they are unable to communicate with health care professionals themselves. A health care proxy
can be chose in addition to or in lieu of a living will; however, it is important that the chose
health care proxy is familiar with and agrees to carry out the wishes and values of the patient.
