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Palliative critical care in the intensive care unit: A 2011 perspective
Michael D Adolph1, Kimberly A Frier2, Stanislaw PA Stawicki3, Anthony T Gerlach4, Thomas J Papadimos5
1 Center for Palliative Care, The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus; Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, USA
2 Center for Palliative Care, The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, USA
3 Division of Critical Care, Trauma, and Burn, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, USA
4 Department of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, USA
5 Department of Anesthesiology, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
Correspondence Address:
Michael D Adolph
James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, Center for Palliative Care, The Ohio State University Medical Center, 456 West 10th Avenue, Suite 246, Columbus, OH 43210
USA
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/2229-5151.84803
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Pain relief and palliative care play an increasingly important role in the overall approach to critically ill and injured patients. Despite significant progress in clinical patient care, our understanding of death and the dying process remains limited. For various reasons, people tend to delay facing questions associated with end-of-life, and the fear of the unknown often creates an environment of avoidance and an atmosphere of taboo. The topic of end-of-life care is multifaceted. It incorporates medical, ethical, spiritual, and religious aspects, among many others. Our ability to sustain the lives of the critically ill may be complicated by continuing life support in medically futile scenarios. This article, as well as the remainder of the IJCIIS Symposium on End-of-Life in Trauma/Intensive Care Unit, will explore the most important issues in the field of modern end-of-life care and palliative medicine, with a focus on critically ill and injured patients. |
