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Two studies published in The New England Journal of
Medicine have found that many elderly Americans in
nursing homes are suffering from futile care at the end
of their life. Both studies were funded by the National
Institutes of Health.
The first, entitled "Functional Status of Elderly Adults
before and after Initiation of Dialysis" concluded
that: "Among nursing home residents with ESRD, the
initiation of dialysis is associated with a substantial
and sustained decline in functional status." The AP
report says: "The findings call into question the common
practice of transporting dialysis patients near the end
of life to dialysis centers several times a week and
hooking them up to a machine for hours at a time."
The second, entitled "The Clinical Course of Advanced
Dementia", concluded that: "Distressing symptoms and
burdensome interventions are also common among such
patients. Patients with health care proxies who have an
understanding of the prognosis and clinical course are
likely to receive less aggressive care near the end of
life."
[Note: Some other recent stories related to this topic
are in the Links: section below.]
To read the full article click on one of these links, both of which go to the same destination. A short link is provided for the convenience of readers. Also, readers may search and browse past advisories on the web (see bottom.)
Functional Status of Elderly Adults before and after Initiation of Dialysis
[The New England Journal of Medicine]
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/361/16/1539
"Conclusions Among nursing home residents with
ESRD, the initiation of dialysis is associated
with a substantial and sustained decline in
functional status."
The Clinical Course of Advanced Dementia
[The New England Journal of Medicine]
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/361/16/1529
"Conclusions: Pneumonia, febrile episodes, and
eating problems are frequent complications in
patients with advanced dementia, and these
complications are associated with high 6-month
mortality rates. Distressing symptoms and
burdensome interventions are also common among
such patients. Patients with health care proxies
who have an understanding of the prognosis and
clinical course are likely to receive less
aggressive care near the end of life."
Chang, Alicia. "Studies: Some Nursing Home Elderly Get Futile Care". ABC News. October 14, 2009. <abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=8830299>. ABC News, 7 West 66th Street, New York, NY U.S.A. 10023. Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Tags (or keywords) briefly indicate some major topics of the report.
futile care
palliative care
U.S.A.
The EuthaNEWSia ID for this advisory is: enid200910155096.
Mailed: Thursday, October 15, 2009 14:03:38 -0600
at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
EuthaNEWSia is a free Canadian news advisory service covering end-of-life issues such as right to die, assisted suicide, and euthanasia. EuthaNEWSia is produced by the Right to Die Society of Canada which works toward a good death for all, including open, regulated and equitable access to euthanasia and assisted suicide. The editor is Michael Dawson <editor@euthanewsia.ca>.
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