Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-9pm4c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-30T02:33:34.425Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Case 97 - Conductinga family meeting to decide withdrawal of care

from Section II - Neurocritical care

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 May 2011

George A. Mashour
Affiliation:
University of Michigan
Ehab Farag
Affiliation:
Cleveland Clinic
Get access

Summary

Conducting a family meeting to decide withdrawal of care can be a very difficult process. This chapter presents a case study of a 79-year-old male who was found unconscious in his home by his wife. The intensivist explained to the family that a meaningful outcome would be extremely unlikely given the large stroke, myocardial infarction, and multisystem organ failure. One of the more difficult situations a critical care physician faces is a discussion regarding withdrawal of care or limitation of support with family members whose loved one has developed medical problems from which he or she clearly cannot recover. Entering into discussions with families for these types of problems without prior consideration and expertise can be fraught with difficulty, negative emotions, and may lead to prolongation of suffering of an otherwise dying patient. Most families appreciate an open, honest approach when discussing withdrawal of life supportive measures.
Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×