Health Care Professionals' Perceptions of Extubation During Withdrawal of Therapy in the Intensive Care Unit

Withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy can include the decision to extubate as part of end-of-life practices in the intensive care unit (ICU).

The purpose of this study was to explore ICU health care professionals (HCPs) perceptions regarding this procedure.

An online questionnaire was used to gather data on ICU HCPs' experiences and views regarding extubation.

This single-centered study was conducted in Switzerland from January 15 to March 15, 2019, and included physicians, nurses, and nurse assistants.

The survey assessed HCPs' emotional and ethical responses to extubation, perceptions of patient suffering, and the management of death rattles (DR).

A total of 150 out of 227 invited (66%) ICU HCPs participated in the study. Extubation was negatively experienced by 65 (44%) professionals. Twenty-two HCPs (15%) perceived the procedure as violent, while 12 (8%) considered it to be equivalent to suffocation. Eleven respondents (7%) considered it as active euthanasia. Five nurses (21%) and 14 nurse assistants (14%) perceived DR as an indication of patient suffering. Eighty-nine HCPs (95%) wished to treat DR for family's comfort, while 60 (64%) desired to care for it to alleviate their discomfort. The primary source of discomfort arose from the lack of know-how (n = 122, 82%), patient comfort (n = 114, 79%), and symbols of life's impermanence (n = 76, 51%). Beliefs about family distress and patient suffering positively influenced the decision to treat DR.

While extubation in the context of end-of-life practices might be ethically sound, HCPs differed in their views on the potential suffering and DR that might be induced by this practice. HCPs discomfort was associated with difficulties in assessing patient comfort, family distress, and lack of know-how.