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Encyclopedia of Trauma Care pp 879–882Cite as

Life Support, Withholding and Withdrawal of

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Synonyms

End-of-life care decision

Definition

Withdrawal (WD) of life support means the discontinuation of crucial life support, whereas withholding (WH) of life support means that life-sustaining treatments will be foregone. A “do-not-resuscitate” order is an example of the WH. WH/WD of life support does not seek to hasten patient death: it is not euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide. WH/WD of life support shifts the critical care goals from cure to comfort. This reduces unnecessary suffering by patients and their families as death approaches and avoids inappropriate patient management.

Background

Continued intensive care may not be beneficial for terminally ill patients. Issues with the WH/WD of life support have attracted public comment. Technological improvements in life-sustaining measures now allow terminally ill patients to survive longer in the intensive care units (ICUs). Provision of optimal care for dying patients and their families has become an important feature of ICU...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 388-1 Pungnap Dong Songpa Ku, 138-736, Seoul, South Korea

    Younsuck Koh

Authors
  1. Younsuck Koh
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Younsuck Koh .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Anesthesiology, Surgery and Neurosurgery, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA

    Peter J. Papadakos

  2. Department of Surgery, Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Rochester, School of Medicine, Rochester, New York, USA

    Mark L. Gestring

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© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Koh, Y. (2015). Life Support, Withholding and Withdrawal of. In: Papadakos, P.J., Gestring, M.L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Trauma Care. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29613-0_221

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29613-0_221

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-29611-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-29613-0

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

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