Background: Mechanical ventilation is the most common form of advanced life-support used
in the intensive care unit (ICU) and the one most often withdrawn in anticipation of death …

Background In critically ill patients who are receiving mechanical ventilation, the factors
associated with physicians' decisions to withdraw ventilation in anticipation of death are …

Background Little information exists about the expected time to death after terminal
withdrawal of mechanical ventilation. We sought to determine the independent predictors of …

Mechanical ventilation is the most common life support modality utilized in the intensive care
unit (ICU), and the need for ventilatory support frequently defines the indication for ICU …

Weaning protocols can improve outcomes, but their efficacy may vary with patient and staff
characteristics. In this prospective, controlled trial, we compared protocol-based weaning to …

During the past 25 years, there has been a significant increase in the number of patients that
receive mechanical ventilation as a means of life support during surgery or life-threatening …

Background Failure to wean from prolonged mechanical ventilation (MV) is common in long-
term acute care hospitals (LTACHs), but the process of terminal withdrawal of MV in LTACHs …

The withdrawal of mechanical ventilation (MV), considered to be no longer beneficial, has
not been well described in the long term acute care hospital (LTACH) setting. Here, we have …

Objective: To examine the longitudinal outcome of a cohort of mechanically ventilated
patients admitted to an acute care respiratory unit after critical illness. Design, Setting, and …

Eight published accounts about ventilator withdrawal spanning 1992–2004 were selected
for review. Articles were selected if they contained data that described the processes …