Evaluation of Informed Consent for Withholding and Withdrawal of Life Support in Korean Intensive Care Units / 대한중환자의학회지
Korean Journal of Critical Care Medicine
;
: 73-81, 2015.
Article
in English
| WPRIM
| ID: wpr-71287
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The goal of this study was to analyze the process and characteristics of withholding or withdrawal of life support (WLS) in Korean intensive care units (ICUs).METHODS:
This was a single-centered retrospective analysis of patients who died in the ICUs of a tertiary hospital in Korea from January to December 2012. WLS informed consents and clinical data were analyzed.RESULTS:
Of 285 deaths during the study period, informed consents for WLS were obtained from 228 patients (80.0%). All WLS decisions were made by family members after the patient's loss of decision-making capacity. Decisions were made most frequently by the patient's son (50.6%). Patients in the WLS group were older than those in the non-WLS group, and older age was associated with the WLS decision. Thirty-seven patients (16.2%) died within one hour of WLS approval, and 182 patients (79.8%) died on the day of WLS approval. The most frequently withheld life support modality was chest compression (100%), followed by defibrillation (95.9%) and pacemaker insertion (63.3%).CONCLUSIONS:
Aggressive and invasive life support measures were those most frequently withheld or withdrawn by decision-makers in Korean ICUs. The most common proxy was the son, rather than the spouse.
Full text:
Available
Index:
WPRIM (Western Pacific)
Main subject:
Thorax
/
Retrospective Studies
/
Spouses
/
Proxy
/
Withholding Treatment
/
Tertiary Care Centers
/
Informed Consent
/
Intensive Care Units
/
Korea
/
Life Support Care
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
English
Journal:
Korean Journal of Critical Care Medicine
Year:
2015
Type:
Article
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