Samantha D’Incà was hospitalized in Vipiteno for a consultation, but will soon return to Feltre
The hospitalization was aimed at an evaluation which is also useful for those who will have to make a decision
BOLZANO. The case of Samantha D’Inca, the young woman in her thirties from Feltre in an irreversible coma whose father asked the Court to “unplug the machines”, has relaunched the debate on the “end of life” and euthanasia at a national level.
Samantha is hospitalized at the Neurorehabilitation Complex Operating Unit of Vipiteno, a structure of excellence led by the head physician Luca Sebastianelli, who avails himself of the scientific advice of the well-known Bolzano neurologist Leopold Saltuari.
The hospitalization
«Samantha», explains Saltuari, «was hospitalized in the Feltre hospital. Three months ago they contacted us as a superspecialist center to find out what its prospects for improvement could be. I asked that all the documentation be sent to me. As I saw it, I immediately understood that nothing could be hoped for other than a “minimum consciousness”.
The doctors of Feltre, however, asked for hospitalization in Vipiteno to try to reduce the spastic pain. We admitted her here and defined a therapeutic strategy that is able to partially reduce the pain. Unfortunately, Samantha’s conditions are dramatic: she will never have the slightest autonomy of life. His return to Feltre is expected shortly ».
Reduce the pain
Occasional explains that his intervention was asked to try to guarantee the best possible quality of life to a patient with minimal conscience and to minimize her pain and suffering. «Samantha», he continues, «manages with slight movements of the face to make us understand if she is suffering or not. For everything else we can do nothing: the court will decide whether or not to grant euthanasia ».
A decision to make
The doctor has very clear ideas on the subject: «Personally, I do not think it right to make patients die of hunger and thirst. If you decide to end a life, you must also have the courage to be less hypocritical and not to make the patient suffer ».
The director of the Unit Luciano Sebastianelli also intervenes on the case: «The case of Samantha is particularly delicate. The medical aspects are extremely complex, that is the reasons that led Samantha to the conditions in which she is currently, just as the ethical aspects are very complex, being a very young girl. For this reason, the health workers who assisted Samantha and her legal guardian requested an evaluation at the Neurorehabilitation department of Vipiteno, so that an expert opinion could be issued about the girl’s prognosis. We agreed with them that it was only right that, before any end-of-life decision, all the most advanced evaluation and treatment techniques available to us were put in place ».
Difficult situation
«During hospitalization in our ward», the doctor continues, «we have been able to document that, by administering a drug directly into the central nervous system with a prolonged test, it is possible to reduce spasticity and dystonia and the pain associated with them. Samantha was therefore much more relaxed, and showed a significant increase in the score of a behavioral scale that measures the state of consciousness. Unfortunately, this increase was not such as to allow Samantha to establish a reproducible contact with the environment and the people around her. Our task, as a specialized department, is also to support people who are called to make such difficult decisions by providing them with the most accurate information. Such decisions will be taken elsewhere, in compliance with Samantha’s wishes. ‘