Evaluation of medical decisions at the end-of-life process

To evaluate the medical decisions at end-of-life of patients admitted at HU/UFSC and to compare these decisions and the profile of patients who died in the intensive care unit (ICU) to those who died in medical (MW) and surgical wards (SW).

This is a retrospective and observational study. Demographic data, clinical features, treatment and the end-of-life care decisions of adult patients who died in wards and the intensive care unit of HU/UFSC from July/2004 to December/2008 were analyzed . For statistical analysis the Student's t, χ2 and ANOVA tests were used: (significance p <0.05).

An analysis was made of 1124 deaths: 404 occurred in ICU, 607 in MW and 113 in SW. The overall hospital mortality rate was 5.9% (ICU=24.49%, MW=7.2%, SW=1.69%). Mean ages of patients were: ICU=56.7, MW=69.3 and SW=70.4 years (p <0.01). Withholding/withdrawing life support was performed prior to 30.7% of deaths in the intensive care unit and 10% in the wards (p <0.01). Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was not carried out in 65% of cases in ICU, 79% in MW and 62% in SW. Besides cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the more frequent withholding/withdrawing life support in the intensive care unit were vasoactive drugs and in the wards refusal of admission to intensive care unit . Do-not-resuscitate order was documented in 2.4% of cases in ICU and 2.6% in MW. Palliative and comfort care were provided to 2% of patients in ICU, 11.5% in MW and 8% in SW. Terminality of the disease was recognized in 40% of cases in ICU, 34.6% in MW and 16.8% in SW.

The profile of patients who died and medical decisions during the end-of-life process were different in the intensive care unit, clinical and surgical wards.