Nevada Revised Statutes 449A.451 – Treatment of qualified patients; withholding or withdrawal of artificial nutrition and hydration; treatment of pregnant patient
1. A qualified patient may make decisions regarding life-sustaining treatment so long as the patient is able to do so.
Terms Used In Nevada Revised Statutes 449A.451
- physician: means a person who engages in the practice of medicine, including osteopathy and homeopathy. See Nevada Revised Statutes 0.040
2. NRS 449A.400 to 449A.481, inclusive, do not affect the responsibility of the attending physician or other provider of health care to provide treatment for a patient’s comfort or alleviation of pain.
3. Artificial nutrition and hydration by way of the gastrointestinal tract shall be deemed a life-sustaining treatment and must be withheld or withdrawn from a qualified patient unless a different desire is expressed in writing by the patient. For a patient who has no effective declaration, artificial nutrition and hydration must not be withheld unless a different desire is expressed in writing by the patient’s authorized representative or the family member with the authority to consent or withhold consent.
4. Life-sustaining treatment must not be withheld or withdrawn pursuant to a declaration from a qualified patient known to the attending physician or attending advanced practice registered nurse to be pregnant so long as it is probable that the fetus will develop to the point of live birth with continued application of life-sustaining treatment.