Abstract
BACKGROUND: There is little published information on the role of respiratory therapists in the process of withdrawal of mechanical ventilatory support.
METHODS: We surveyed practicing respiratory therapists at 6 acute-care hospitals in a large urban area and asked about particular concerns and attitudes regarding terminal extubation.
RESULTS: One hundred nineteen questionnaires were analyzed. The majority of respiratory therapists had participated in terminal extubation, but most were not regular participants in the decision-making process leading to withdrawal.
CONCLUSIONS: Practicing respiratory therapists expressed a desire for a role in the decisionmaking process, education regarding terminal care, and more definitive orders for terminal extubation.
- palliative care
- terminal care
- respiratory therapy
- withholding treatment
- mechanical ventilators
- intensive care
- critical care
- life support
Footnotes
- Correspondence: David C Willms MD, Pulmonary Center, Sharp Memorial Hospital, 7901 Frost Street, San Diego CA 92123. E-mail: david.willms{at}sharp.com.
David C Willms MD presented a version of this report at the OPEN FORUM of the 49th International Respiratory Congress of the American Association for Respiratory Care, held December 8–11, 2003, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
- Copyright © 2005 by Daedalus Enterprises Inc.
