Observational studyActa anaesthesiologica Scandinavica2022
"Do not resuscitate" order and end-of-life treatment in a cohort of deceased in a Norwegian University Hospital.
Observational study in Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Disease trajectories and end of life care in a Norwegian ALS cohort.BMC neurology · 2026Article
- Early and late code status documentation in cancer patients managed by a dedicated supportive care team.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Article
- End-of-Life Infections and the Dilemma of Emerging Antimicrobial Resistance: A Scoping Review.Infection & chemotherapy · 2025Review
- Withdrawal/Withholding of Life-Sustaining Therapies: Limitation of Therapeutic Effort in the Intensive Care Unit.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Observational
- Do not resuscitate orders and limitation of therapeutic effort: Ethical challenges in healthcare teams in Chile.Salud colectiva · 2024Article
- Assessing the impact of palliative care admission of end-of-life cancer adults.Palliative care and social practice · 2023Article
- "Do not resuscitate" order and end-of-life treatment in a cohort of deceased in a Norwegian University Hospital.Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica · 2022Observational
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundA "Do not resuscitate" (DNR) order implies that cardiopulmonary resuscitation will not be started. Absent or delayed DNR orders in advanced chronic disease may indicate suboptimal communication about disease stage, prognosis, and treatment goals. The study objective was to determine clinical practice and patient involvement regarding DNR and the prevalence of life-prolonging treatment in the last week of life.
methodsA cross-sectional observational study was made of a cohort of 315 deceased from a large general hospital in Norway. Data on DNR and other treatment limitations, life-prolonging treatment in the last week of life, and cause of death were obtained from medical records.
resultsA DNR order was documented for 287 (91%) patients. Almost half the DNR orders, 142 (49%), were made during the last 7 days of life. The main causes of death were cancer (31%), infectious diseases (31%), and cardiovascular diseases (19%). The most frequent life-prolonging treatments during the last week of life were intravenous fluids in 221 patients (70%) and antibiotics in 198 (63%). During the last week of life, 103 (36%) patients received ICU treatment. Death by cancer (odds ratio 2.5, 95% confidence interval 1.24-5.65) and DNR decision made by a palliative care physician (odds ratio 3.4, 95% CI 1.21-3.88) were predictors of not receiving life-prolonging treatment.
conclusionThe findings of a high prevalence of life-prolonging treatment in the last week of life and DNR orders being made close to the time of death indicate that decisions about limiting life-prolonging treatment are often postponed until the patient's death is imminent.
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