When patients' priorities conflict with those of their medical team; A challenging case of a bleeding patient and his dying pet

Abstract

We present an unusual case of an acutely unwell patient with an upper gastrointestinal bleed whose resuscitation efforts were delayed by the discovery of his, similarly, acutely unwell pet on the medical high dependency unit. We highlight the challenges this provided the clinical team and focus on the issues relating to patient safety, consent and multidisciplinary action which may be more relevant to daily clinical practice.