Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41859413›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in neurology

Factors influencing withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments in patients with severe acquired brain injuries: a scoping review.

Alexia Abboud, Rose Jutras, Catherine Rollin, Loretta Norton, Stefanie Blain-Moraes, Catherine Duclos

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in neurology. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

6 authors.

Alexia Abboud *Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Rose Jutras *Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux du Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Catherine RollinHôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux du Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Loretta NortonDepartment of Psychology, King's University College at Western University, London, ON, Canada.
Stefanie Blain-MoraesResearch Institute of the McGill University Health Center, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Catherine DuclosHôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux du Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments (WLST) is a leading cause of death in patients with severe acquired brain injuries (ABI). These decisions often occur under conditions of prognostic uncertainty and time-critical therapeutic windows and may be shaped by a complex interplay of factors. Elucidating these influences is essential to ensure that WLST decisions are made in an informed, unbiased, and transparent manner, and in alignment with wishes of the patients as well as their surrogate decision makers. Objective: Conduct a scoping review of literature to identify, elaborate and analyze the various factors that influence decisions to WLST in adult patients with ABI. This review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of current practices. Methods: This scoping review, conducted according to PRISMA-ScR guidelines, examined literature on WLST in adult ABI, in whom brain death had not been declared. The search was conducted in PubMed and Web of Science, up to August 2024. Studies were screened by title/abstract and full text, with data systematically extracted. Only original, peer-reviewed articles focusing on WLST in adult severe ABI patients were included. Results: Demographic factors (age, sex, race, socioeconomic status, etc.; Conclusion: WLST decisions are most often made for older adults, with age consistently identified as a key predictor, independent of the clinical severity of ABI. Additional factors such as race, socioeconomic status, advance directives, and variations in healthcare provider attitudes and institutional policies further contribute to disparities in WLST practices. Understanding these intersecting influences is essential to recognizing potential biases and promoting more equitable, patient-centered end-of-life decision-making.

Indexed as

anoxic brain injurybrain injuriesend of life care decisionintensive care unitsstrokesurrogate decision maker (making)TBI - traumatic brain injurywithdrawal of life sustaining therapies

Identifiers

PMID41859413
PMCPMC12995657

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.