TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Chapter 53. End-of-Life Issues in Emergency Critical Care A1 - Lamba, Sangeeta A2 - Farcy, David A. A2 - Chiu, William C. A2 - Flaxman, Alex A2 - Marshall, John P. Y1 - 2012 N1 - T2 - Critical Care Emergency Medicine AB - The majority of patients who are admitted to medical critical care units and many of those in surgical intensive care units begin their hospital course in the emergency department (ED). Thus, ED clinicians set the stage for the future management trajectory, usually initiating aggressive life-saving measures, with a curative and resuscitative approach to care.1,2 Due to advances in technology, deaths in critical patients often result from limitation of life-supporting measures as opposed to a natural decline from disease or age.3 This has resulted in an expansion of the mission of critical care to include provision of the best care available for dying patients and their families.4 In 2003, an International Consensus Conference was convened to discuss some of the end-of-life challenges and to address the issues related to optimal care for dying critical care patients.5 In order to achieve the best “quality” of life rather than just an emphasis on the “quantity” along with cure, it is essential to focus on patient comfort from the onset of care.2,4,5 SN - PB - The McGraw-Hill Companies CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accessemergencymedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=55816500 ER -