Palliative care and withholding and withdrawing dialysis

Withholding and withdrawing artificial nutrition and hydration.

Although the practice of withholding and withdrawing artificial nutrition and hydration (ANH) has become more common, it remains controversial, particularly in the paediatric setting. Decisions regarding ANH, along with other medical interventions, should be considered in the individual context of the child's overall plan of care. The purpose of the present practice point is to provide guidance...

Ethical aspects of withdrawing and withholding treatment.

Decisions about withdrawing and withholding treatment are common in health care. During almost every encounter between health professionals and patients a decision needs to be made about treatment options. In most cases these choices do not pose any difficulty, for example, starting antibiotics when a patient has an infection. However, decisions not to treat, or to stop treating, raise fundamen...

The contribution of withholding or withdrawing care to newborn mortality.

OBJECTIVE We sought to determine the contribution of withholding or withdrawing care to neonatal mortality in our hospital over a 10-year period from 1993 through 2002. BACKGROUND Although not initiating or withholding intensive care for certain newborns has been practiced openly for the past 25 years, little information has been published concerning the results of these practices on neonatal...

Considerations regarding withholding/withdrawing life-sustaining treatment.

Withdrawing and withholding life-sustaining therapies are not the same

Numerous lines of evidence support the premise that withholding and withdrawing life support measures in the intensive care unit are not the same. These include questionnaires, practical observations and an examination of national medical guidelines. It is important to distinguish between the two end of life options as their outcomes and management are significantly different. Appreciation of t...