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To examine characteristics of patients who die during emergency department (ED) visits and the care they receive, researchers performed a prospective cross-sectional survey of all patients who died in 174 EDs in France and Belgium during two 2-month periods.
The 2420 patients had a mean age of 77; 49% were men, and 72% lived at home. Overall, 81% of patients had chronic underlying diseases, and 93% had failure of at least one organ. Most patients (74%) received advanced life support and resuscitative interventions, and about half (57%) received palliative care, including analgesia, sedation, and emotional support (for patients or their families). Life-support therapy was withheld or withdrawn for 79% of patients, most frequently because of f…