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Treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) is geared toward sustaining life, which can make delivery of high-quality care challenging when death is imminent. Data from several studies have demonstrated that end-of-life care in ICUs varies greatly among geographical regions and countries, likely because of differences in religion, culture, case mix, and prevailing attitudes of physicians. Researchers searched the literature from 1994 to 2009 to determine approaches and ethics associated with end-of-life ICU care.
An integral part of caring for the critically ill at the end of life is recognizing which patients will benefit from aggressive treatment: Fair allocation of limited ICU resources is essential. Ethical treatment of critically ill pat…