# Protocol for humanely euthanizing patients in hospital that must be abandoned? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 4, 2015, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocol-for-humanely-euthanizing-patients-in-hospital-that-must-be-abandoned/733563 "2015-10-04T23:32:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocol-for-humanely-euthanizing-patients-in-hospital-that-must-be-abandoned/733563/1 "2015-10-04T23:32:40Z")
I don’t give the claim much weight, but someone made a claim in a thread elsewhere on the zombie show Fear The Walking Dead that this is the accepted course of action if medical staff must abandon a hospital with no continuity of care and no hope of rescue. NOW maybe I could see this being the truth for patients on life support or feeding tubes etc that absolutely will not survive, but no way in hell for anyone else. For instance one of the character’s medical issue is heroin withdrawal. So I believe this is either a lie or a misinterpretation. ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocol-for-humanely-euthanizing-patients-in-hospital-that-must-be-abandoned/733563/2 "2015-10-04T23:44:35Z")
There is a book called _Five Days at Memorial_ about this sort of situation, that occurred in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocol-for-humanely-euthanizing-patients-in-hospital-that-must-be-abandoned/733563/3 "2015-10-04T23:46:13Z")
Here is an article I found that says during Katrina they actually debated doing it to patients who would not otherwise survive the ordeal, a big qualifier. [http://edition.cnn.com/2005/US/10/12/katrina.hospital/index.html?\_s=PM:US](http://edition.cnn.com/2005/US/10/12/katrina.hospital/index.html?_s=PM:US) ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocol-for-humanely-euthanizing-patients-in-hospital-that-must-be-abandoned/733563/4 "2015-10-04T23:47:32Z")
To answer the question though, no, there is no protocol for this situation. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocol-for-humanely-euthanizing-patients-in-hospital-that-must-be-abandoned/733563/5 "2015-10-04T23:49:15Z")
> [@steatopygia](#): > > There is a book called _Five Days at Memorial_ about this sort of situation, that occurred in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina I was typing while you posted, thanks. There is testimony and allegations it did happen at the hospital. The part I can’t believe is that the standard course of action is euthanizing even the guy with a broken arm. ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocol-for-humanely-euthanizing-patients-in-hospital-that-must-be-abandoned/733563/6 "2015-10-04T23:52:51Z")
Per the book, this actually did happen. It was illegal, there was (and probably never will be) any protocol that states anything like this, and in the Memorial Hospital scenario, there was actually no need to do it any case as rescue was ongoing. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocol-for-humanely-euthanizing-patients-in-hospital-that-must-be-abandoned/733563/7 "2015-10-04T23:55:27Z")
> [@steatopygia](#): > > Per the book, this actually did happen. > > It was illegal, there was (and probably never will be) any protocol that states anything like this, and in the Memorial Hospital scenario, there was actually no need to do it any case as rescue was ongoing. So the whole claim is bullshit, even though I was only doubting the part that was plainly absurd. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocol-for-humanely-euthanizing-patients-in-hospital-that-must-be-abandoned/733563/8 "2015-10-05T00:14:00Z")
> [@steatopygia](#): > > Per the book, this actually did happen. > > It was illegal, there was (and probably never will be) any protocol that states anything like this, and in the Memorial Hospital scenario, there was actually no need to do it any case as rescue was ongoing. Sorry that should have read, there _wasn’t_ ( and probably… ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocol-for-humanely-euthanizing-patients-in-hospital-that-must-be-abandoned/733563/9 "2015-10-05T00:22:30Z")
> [@steatopygia](#): > > Sorry that should have read, there _wasn’t_ ( and probably… I figured that was a typo based on the content of the post.