European journal of anaesthesiology
-
Multicenter Study Observational Study
Withholding and withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy in 8569 trauma patients: A multicentre, analytical registry study.
This study aimed to determine the prevalence of withholding or withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy (WLST) decisions in trauma ICU patients, using a large registry. We hypothesised that this prevalence is similar to that of the general population admitted to an ICU. As secondary aims, it sought to describe the trauma patients for whom the decision was made for WLST and the factors associated with this decision. ⋯ Among 8569 patients, medical history, trauma severity criteria, notably neurological status and geographical areas were associated with WLST. These regional differences deserve to be investigated in future studies.