Study Reveals Disconnect Between Surgeons, Patients About Life Support

Patients who wish to limit the amount of life support they receive after surgery might have a hard time finding a surgeon willing to do the procedure, reports a new study from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

In a nationwide survey of more than 900 vascular, cardiothoracic and neurological surgeons, 60 percent of respondents said they would either sometimes or always refuse to operate on a patient who explicitly stated a desire to limit life-supporting treatments for a life-threatening post-operative complication. Meanwhile, 62 percent said they would pre-operatively create an informal contract with patients outlining agreed-upon limits of aggressive post-operative treatments. The results of this survey appear in this month’s online edition of Critical Care Medicine. For more information, click here to read the full release.