End-of-Life Decisions in Surgical Intensive Care Medicine - The Relevance of Treatment Withholding
Overview
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Quality of Life
- Sponsor
- Charite University, Berlin, Germany
- Enrollment
- 226
- Primary Endpoint
- sequence of withdrawing life-sustaining treatment
- Status
- Completed
- Last Updated
- 10 years ago
Overview
Brief Summary
The purpose of this retrospective observational study is to describe the sequence of ICU-therapies that are limited and to compare characteristics and the decision making process in surgical ICU-patients.
Detailed Description
Decisions to limit life-support therapy are common on the intensive care unit (ICU). End-of-life decisions (EOLD) underlie a dynamic process and limitation of ICU-therapies is done sequentially. Questionnaire-based and observational studies on medical ICUs and in palliative care reveal blood transfusions as the first therapy physicians withhold in EOLDs. Whether this practice also applies to surgical ICU-patients is unknown. The purpose of this retrospective observational study is to describe the sequence of ICU-therapies that are limited and to compare characteristics and the decision making process in surgical ICU-patients.
Investigators
Jan Adriaan Graw
Dr. med.
Charite University, Berlin, Germany
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •All surgical patients admitted to the ICU All surgical patients discharged death from the ICU
Exclusion Criteria
- •All patients discharged alive from the ICU
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
sequence of withdrawing life-sustaining treatment
Time Frame: 3 years
The primary objective of this study performed according to an observational post-ad-hoc design is to identify the sequence of withdrawing life-sustaining treatment in surgical ICU-patients with an end-of-life decision on an intensive care unit of a German academic medical center. Approximately 200 patients will be enrolled in the study. They are followed up until their death on the ICU. In clinical routine end-of-life decisions are documented for decision-makers and procedures in the patients´ records. Patients´ characteristics and therapeutic approaches are documented in the electronic patient data management system.
Secondary Outcomes
- factors associated with the withholding of specific ICU-therapies(3 years)