Suzana M Lobo1, Flávio H B De Simoni1, Stephan M Jakob2, Angel Estella3, Sonali Vadi4, Andreas Bluethgen5, Ignacio Martin-Loeches6, Yasser Sakr7, Jean-Louis Vincent8. 1. Intensive Care Division, Medical School, FAMERP, Hospital de Base de S J Rio Preto, São José do Rio Preto, Brazil. 2. Department of Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital Bern, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. 3. Intensive Care Unit, Hospital SAS Jerez, Jerez, Spain. 4. Department of Critical Care, Global Hospitals, Mumbai, India. 5. Department of Intensive Care, Klinikum Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany. 6. Department of Clinical Medicine, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, Multidisciplinary Intensive Care Research Organization (MICRO), Wellcome Trust, HRB Clinical Research, St James's University Hospital Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; CIBER Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Barcelona, Spain. 7. Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Jena, Germany. 8. Department of Intensive Care, Erasme University Hospital, Unversité Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address: jlvincent@intensive.org.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Many critically ill patients who die will do so after a decision has been made to withhold/withdraw life-sustaining therapy. The objective of this study was to document the characteristics of ICU patients with a decision to withhold/withdraw life-sustaining treatment, including the types of supportive treatments used, patterns of organ dysfunction, and international differences, including gross national income (GNI). METHODS: In this observational cohort study conducted in 730 ICUs in 84 countries, all adult patients admitted between May 8, 2012, and May 18, 2012 (except admissions for routine postoperative surveillance), were included. RESULTS: The analysis included 9,524 patients, with a hospital mortality of 24%. A decision to withhold/withdraw life-sustaining treatment was reported during the ICU stay in 1,259 patients (13%), including 820 (40%) nonsurvivors and 439 (5%) survivors. Hospital mortality in patients with a decision to withhold/withdraw life-sustaining treatment was 69%. The proportion of deaths in patients with a decision to withhold/withdraw life-sustaining treatment ranged from 10% in South Asia to 67% in Oceania. Decisions to withhold/withdraw life-sustaining treatment were less frequent in low/lower-middle GNI countries than in high GNI countries (6% vs 14%; P < .001). Greater disease severity, presence of ≥ 2 organ failures, severe comorbidities, medical and trauma admissions, and admission from the ED or hospital floor were independent predictors of a decision to withhold/withdraw life-sustaining treatment. CONCLUSIONS: There is considerable worldwide variability in decisions to withhold/withdraw life-sustaining treatments. Interestingly, almost one-third of patients with a decision to withhold/withdraw life-sustaining treatment left the hospital alive.
BACKGROUND: Many critically illpatients who die will do so after a decision has been made to withhold/withdraw life-sustaining therapy. The objective of this study was to document the characteristics of ICU patients with a decision to withhold/withdraw life-sustaining treatment, including the types of supportive treatments used, patterns of organ dysfunction, and international differences, including gross national income (GNI). METHODS: In this observational cohort study conducted in 730 ICUs in 84 countries, all adult patients admitted between May 8, 2012, and May 18, 2012 (except admissions for routine postoperative surveillance), were included. RESULTS: The analysis included 9,524 patients, with a hospital mortality of 24%. A decision to withhold/withdraw life-sustaining treatment was reported during the ICU stay in 1,259 patients (13%), including 820 (40%) nonsurvivors and 439 (5%) survivors. Hospital mortality in patients with a decision to withhold/withdraw life-sustaining treatment was 69%. The proportion of deaths in patients with a decision to withhold/withdraw life-sustaining treatment ranged from 10% in South Asia to 67% in Oceania. Decisions to withhold/withdraw life-sustaining treatment were less frequent in low/lower-middle GNI countries than in high GNI countries (6% vs 14%; P < .001). Greater disease severity, presence of ≥ 2 organ failures, severe comorbidities, medical and trauma admissions, and admission from the ED or hospital floor were independent predictors of a decision to withhold/withdraw life-sustaining treatment. CONCLUSIONS: There is considerable worldwide variability in decisions to withhold/withdraw life-sustaining treatments. Interestingly, almost one-third of patients with a decision to withhold/withdraw life-sustaining treatment left the hospital alive.
Authors: Bertrand Guidet; Helene Vallet; Jacques Boddaert; Dylan W de Lange; Alessandro Morandi; Guillaume Leblanc; Antonio Artigas; Hans Flaatten Journal: Ann Intensive Care Date: 2018-11-26 Impact factor: 6.925
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