European journal of anaesthesiology. Supplement
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Eur J Anaesthesiol Suppl · Jan 2008
Legal aspects of end-of-life decisions in Italy: the penal relevance of the limitation of treatment in the terminally ill and the problem of causality by omission. The legal puzzle of end-of-life care in Italy: is therapeutic limitation in the terminally ill patients a crime of omission liable to prosecution?
The interruption of life support poses different problems for he who interrogates himself regarding the possible juridical role of omissible behaviour or activities by part of the physician when dealing with end-of-life interventions within the boundary of life and death. The present contribution proposes to trace the coordinates necessary to answer the main query regarding the obligations which may be incumbent on the physician. ⋯ The laws that discipline crimes against life and individual integrity must be interpreted while keeping in mind that the objective of maintaining the patient in life must be integrated with the control of suffering and the guarantee of a dignified death. When identifying the principles which have to inspire the decisions during 'borderline or boundary situations', it is highlighted the way the physician has to resort to a just equilibrium between benefit, which can be reasonably expected, and sacrifice, which should be imposed, taking into consideration the criteria of good clinical practice, among which attention to the patient's will must be taken into consideration.
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In 1892 Osler described 'rapid loss of flesh' in prolonged sepsis. Thereafter, for years, limb weakness was attributed to cachectic myopathy, and difficulty weaning from mechanical ventilation was attributed to diaphragmatic fatigue. In 1961 Mertens described 'coma-polyneuropathies', and in 1971 Henderson and colleagues described polyneuropathy in patients with burns. ⋯ Moreover, a number of investigators reported instances of critical illness myopathy. Comprehensive studies by Latronico and colleagues indicated that polyneuropathy and myopathy often occurred together in the same patient. With successful treatment of sepsis, improvement often occurred in encephalopathy, polyneuropathy and myopathy, except in very severe cases.
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This article will discuss the challenges related to the demonstration of the efficacy of monitoring in an intensive care environment. It will address interpretation, therapeutic intervention, sample size and compare efficacy to effectiveness in the context of the developing field of neurocritical care.