Sepsis-related organ failure assessment and withholding or withdrawing life support from critically ill patients

BACKGROUND: We studied the incidence of withholding or withdrawing therapeutic measures in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, as well as the possible implications of sepsis-related organ failure assessment (SOFA) in the decision-making process and the ethical conflicts emerging from these measures. METHODS: The patients (n = 372) were placed in different groups: those surviving 1 year after ICU admission (S; n = 301), deaths at home (DH; n = 2), deaths in the hospital after ICU discharge (DIH; n = 13) and deaths in the ICU (DI; n = 56). The last group was divided into the following subgroups: two cardiovascular deaths (CVD), 20 brain deaths (BD), 25 deaths after withholding of life support (DWH) and nine deaths after withdrawal of life support (DWD). RESULTS: APACHE III, daily therapeutic intervention scoring system (TISS) and daily SOFA scores were good mortality predictors. The length of ICU stay in DIH (20 days) and in DWH (14 days) was significantly greater than in BD (5 days) or in S (7 days). The number of days with a maximum SOFA score was greater in DWD (5 days) than in S, BD or DWH (2 days). CONCLUSIONS: Daily SOFA is a useful parameter when the decision to withhold or withdraw treatment has to be considered, especially if the established measures do not improve the clinical condition of the patient. Although making decisions based on the use of severity parameters may cause ethical problems, it may reduce the anxiety level. Additionally, it may help when considering the need for extraordinary measures or new investigative protocols for better management of resources.