Key result
Withdrawal of life support before ICU death increased to ~80% at one hospital by 1993.
Why the study?
Differences in mode of death and end-of-life decisions in ICUs between institutions and over time were not well characterized.
Population
439 patients dying in medical/surgical/trauma ICUs at two tertiary care teaching hospitals in 1988 and 1993
Comparison
Institutional differences and changes over time in mode of death and withdrawal of support
Design
Retrospective chart review
Authors
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Documents rising withdrawal of life support in 1990s Canadian ICUs; leaves open whether trends persist or vary today.
Observational (n=439)
Yes
p-value: p=<.05
Withdrawal of life support became significantly more common in Canadian ICUs between 1988 and 1993, with notable institutional differences in end-of-life decisions.
McLean et al. (2000) conducted an observational in Patients dying in the ICU (n=439). Time period (1993) vs. Time period (1988) was evaluated on Withdrawal of support (p=<.05). Withdrawal of life support prior to ICU death increased significantly between 1988 and 1993 at both Hospital A (43% to 66%) and Hospital B (46% to 80%, p<0.05).
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