Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
-
Comparative Study
Withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining therapy in a Canadian intensive care unit.
The purpose of this study was to document the rationale and procedures for withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining treatment in critically ill patients. A prospective observational study was conducted over 12 mo in a Canadian academic intensive care unit. Of the 110 intensive care unit patients who died during the study period, 71 (64.5%) died after treatment was withheld or withdrawn. ⋯ There was a consistent approach to withdrawing therapy in 68 of the 71 patients who had treatment either withheld or withdrawn. In these 68 patients, the first step was to write a do-not-resuscitate order, vasopressor drugs were then stopped and, lastly, the patient was weaned from mechanical ventilation and the trachea was extubated. The results of this study demonstrate that life-supporting treatment is commonly withdrawn in critically ill patients when continued therapy is thought to be unlikely to restore the patient to health.
-
The purpose of this study was to compare the cost of a day spent in an intensive care unit and a day spent on a general nursing unit. A descriptive design was used, based on patient level data, to examine and compare unit costs per day for each of the ICU and non-ICU portions of a patient's hospital stay. Records from 386 patients who were treated in a general medical/surgical ICU were analyzed. ⋯ The results suggest that the savings achieved by moving a patient from ICU to non-ICU care are considerable, particularly for less severe surviving patients. In making such decisions, however, clinicians must examine prospective benefits as well as costs. If the health outcomes are not influenced, the savings from substitution are considerable, and there is a strong economic argument for substitution.
-
Hydrogen peroxide is used to cleanse and irrigate wounds. As it decomposes immediately into water and oxygen on contact with organic tissue, it is usually regarded as a safe agent. ⋯ Semi-closed spaces formed under the apatite dowel and between the apatite dowel and vertebral bodies may have precipitated the absorption of oxygen bubbles into the vasculature. Although this case was associated with a rapid recovery and uneventful sequelae, it discourages the use of hydrogen peroxide in this procedure because of the potential hazards including cardiovascular collapse.