Confronted With Death: Factors Affecting End of Life Decisions in the Intensive Care Unit.
Sabih Ul Hassan SyedWajid AliHamza KhanAhsan Raza RajaMurtuza HassanGhazal HaqueFarwa AyubMuhammad Atif WaqarAsad LatifPublished in: Omega (2023)
To determine how often care is limited at the end of life and the factors that are associated with this decision, we reviewed the medical records of all patients that passed away in the intensive care units (ICU) of Aga Khan University. We found that a majority of patients had Do-Not-Resuscitate orders in place at the time of death. Our analysis yielded 6 variables that were associated with the decision to limit care. These are patient age, sex, duration of mechanical ventilation, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) ≤8 at any point during ICU stay, GCS ≤8 in the first 24 hours following ICU admission, and mean arterial pressure <65 mm of Hg while on vasopressors in the first 24 hours following ICU admission. These variables require further study and should be carefully considered during end of life discussions to allow for optimal management at the end of life.
Keyphrases
- mechanical ventilation
- intensive care unit
- end stage renal disease
- healthcare
- acute respiratory distress syndrome
- chronic kidney disease
- ejection fraction
- newly diagnosed
- emergency department
- palliative care
- peritoneal dialysis
- prognostic factors
- quality improvement
- respiratory failure
- fluorescent probe
- patient reported