Old soldiers never die, they just ? are transferred

摘要

very now and then you are more than just scientifically engaged when you are asked to review an article. This happened to me when I read the article by Binney et al (1), in a recent issue of Critical Care Medicine, about a dedicated hospice unit for terminally ill ICU patients.I practice intensive care medicine for years. And the longer I practice, the more I realize that end-of-life care is not only an integral part of my job but also a very important one. Dying is part of intensive care as is ventilation or inotropes (2).In the first place for the dying patient him or herself. To be able to die in the way concordant with his wishes, free of treatable symptoms is a right. But also for the family and loved ones of this patient, a dignified death is paramount. It is the duty of the inten-sivist to do anything in his power to provide this type of care. He or she must be trained and have the tools to do so (3). Every intensiv-ist caring for dying patients, and that is almost everybody, should realize that you can provide end-of-life care to that patient and their loved ones only once.