Showing papers by "Stefan Timmermans published in 1999"
Book•
01 Jan 1999
TL;DR: This book discusses death awareness in the United States, the search for the Best Resuscitation Technique, and Deciding Life and Death.
Abstract: Foreword -- Bern Shen, M.D. Preface Introduction: "What They Didn't Tell You in Your CPR Course" 1. Death Awareness in the United States 2. The Search for the Best Resuscitation Technique 3. CPR for All 4. Lifesaving in Action 5. Deciding Life and Death 6. "There Is a Code and a Code" 7. Saving Life or Saving Death? Appendix: Methodology Notes References Index
85 citations
TL;DR: The author shows that certain groups of patients are much more likely to be considered socially dead regardless of their clinical viability, while others are less likely to been considered sociallydead even when irreversible biological death has set in.
Abstract: In this paper, the author addresses the relationship between social death and clinical-biological death during resuscitative efforts. In Western societies, resuscitative efforts are the medical intervention of choice when sudden death occurs. The widespread use of this technology puts emergency department staff in a difficult gatekeeping position. They are expected to save lives, but, at the same time-when their efforts become futile-to prepare for a dignified death. The author shows that certain groups of patients are much more likely to be considered socially dead regardless of their clinical viability, while others are less likely to be considered socially dead even when irreversible biological death has set in. The result is an implicit rationing of the lifesaving endeavors based on the social worth of the patient. This rationing annihilates initiatives, such as advance directives, which were instituted to empower patients. Social scientists usually suggest that the solution to the negative effects of rationing is to increase accessibility for all populations; however, resuscitative efforts are a prime example in which less access for all groups-instead of for some-might be preferable. This paper is based on observations of 112 resuscitative efforts during a fourteenth-month period and interviews with 42 health care providers.
23 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors apply a theoretical framework developed by the late American sociologist Anselm Strauss to the discovery of a new resuscitation technique, cloed-chest cardiac massage, which took place in the laboratories of John Hopkins University between 1956 and 1960.
Abstract: This article applies a theoretical framework developed by the late American sociologist Anselm Strauss to the discovery of a new resuscitation technique, cloed-chest cardiac massage. The discovery, which took place in the laboratories of John Hopkins University between 1956 and 1960, is analyzed as the collective management of a trajectory over time. The article follows the discovery trajectory from its origins in defibrillator reserach to the establisment of closed-chest cardiac massage and cardiopulmonary resuscitation as a universal life-saving method. The analytical focus on the experimental, clinical, and promotional activities performed by the different actors interacting with the emerging technology allows one to critically question the value of concepts such as closure, stabilization, and black boxing in sociology of science and technology. Instead of prematuraly freezing the analysis of technoscience, a trajectory conceptual framework emphasizes the ongoing dynamic between actors and medical technology to define the scope, effectiveness and multiple interpretations of the technology-actor interaction.
15 citations