Influence of Age in End-of-Life Practices in Worldwide ICUs (ETHICUS-2): A Prospective Observational Study - PubMed
4 hours ago
- #intensive care
- #age influence
- #end-of-life care
- The study evaluates how patient age influences end-of-life limitations of life-sustaining therapy (LST) in ICUs globally.
- 199 ICUs across 36 countries participated, including 12,200 patients who died or had LST limitations.
- Patients were grouped by age: <65, 65-79, and ≥80 years. The ≥80 group had higher odds of LST limitations compared to the <65 group.
- Regional variations were noted, with significant associations in Central and Southern Europe but not in other regions.
- Withholding therapy was most common in the ≥80 group, while withdrawing therapy was highest in the <65 group.
- The primary reasons for LST limitations were unresponsiveness to therapy, neurologic and chronic diseases, with age rarely being the main reason.