Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40289772›Full record

ArticleTuberculosis and respiratory diseases2025

Determinants of Limiting Life-Sustaining Treatment in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients: A Multicenter Study in Korean Intensive Care Units.

I Re Heo, Tae Hoon Kim, Won Jai Jung, Gil Myeong Seong, Sun Jung Kwon, Jae Young Moon, Song-I Lee, Do Sik Moon, Tae-Ok Kim, Chul Park and 14 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Tuberculosis and respiratory diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Observational
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

24 authors.

I Re HeoDepartment of Internal Medicine, Gyeongsang National University Changwon Hospital, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine, Changwon, Republic of Korea.
Tae Hoon KimDepartment of Internal Medicine, Gyeongsang National University Changwon Hospital, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine, Changwon, Republic of Korea.
Won Jai JungDivision of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Gil Myeong SeongDepartment of Internal Medicine, Jeju National University Hospital, Jeju National University School of Medicine, Jeju, Republic of Korea.
Sun Jung KwonDivision of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Konyang University Hospital, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
Jae Young MoonDepartment of Internal Medicine, Chungnam National University Sejong Hospital, Chungnam National University College of Medicine, Sejong, Republic of Korea.
Song-I LeeDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Chungnam National University Hospital, Chungnam National University College of Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
Do Sik MoonDepartment of Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine, Chosun University Hospital, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
Tae-Ok KimDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Chonnam National University Hospital, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
Chul ParkDivision of Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine, Wonkwang University Hospital, Iksan, Republic of Korea.
Eun Young ChoiDivision of Pulmonology and Allergy, Department of Internal Medicine, Yeungnam University College of Medicine and Regional Center for Respiratory Diseases, Yeungnam University Medical Center, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
Jung-Wan YooDepartment of Internal Medicine, Gyeongsang National University Hospital, Jinju, Republic of Korea.
Sunghoon ParkDivision of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Anyang, Republic of Korea.
Ae Rin BaekDivision of Allergy and Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, Bucheon, Republic of Korea.
Sung Yoon LimDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea.
Jung Soo KimDivision of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Hospital Medicine, Inha University College of Medicine, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
Jongmin LeeDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Chi Ryang ChungDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Sang-Min LeeDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Su Hwan LeeDivision of Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Moon Seong BaekDepartment of Internal Medicine, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Jin Won HuhDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Woo Hyun ChoDivision of Allergy, Pulmonary, and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Transplant Research Center, Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.
Ho Cheol KimDepartment of Internal Medicine, Gyeongsang National University Changwon Hospital, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine, Changwon, Republic of Korea.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundUnderstanding of the life-sustaining treatment (LST) decisions in critically ill coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients remains limited. This study aimed to identify factors influencing LST decisions, and compare clinical outcomes between patients with, and without, LST.

methodsThis multicenter, retrospective cohort study analyzed data from 1,081 COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) across Korea from January 1, 2020, to August 31, 2021. Patients were divided into LST and non-LST groups. Demographic, clinical, and outcome data were collected and compared.

resultsOf 1,081 patients, 207 (19.2 %) received LST. LST patients were older (median age: 76 years vs. 67 years, p<0.001), and had more comorbidities (85.5% vs. 70.4%, p<0.001), especially cardiovascular and chronic lung disease. They showed higher blood urea nitrogen, lower albumin, and elevated D-dimer levels (all p<0.05). ICU interventions, including mechanical ventilation (82.6% vs. 50.9%, p<0.001) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) (18.8% vs. 9.8%, p<0.001), were more common. ICU and hospital mortality rates were significantly higher in LST patients (82.6% and 94.2%, respectively, p<0.001). Logistic regression identified age (odds ratio [OR], 1.054 per year; p<0.001), mechanical ventilation (OR, 2.789; p=0.002), and ECMO use (OR, 3.580; p=0.002) as independent predictors of LST.

conclusionAge, comorbidities, and ICU interventions significantly influence LST decisions, highlighting the need for ethical and evidence-based critical care guidelines.

Indexed as

COVID-19Extracorporeal Membrane OxygenationIntensive Care UnitLife-Sustaining TreatmentsMechanical VentilationPredictorsRetrospective Cohort

Identifiers

PMID40289772
PMCPMC12235287

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.