While there isn't a precise figure for the number of coma patients removed from life support annually, several studies provide insights into this practice:
A study of 2,100 inpatient deaths found that withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy for perceived poor neurologic prognosis occurred in 25% of cases[3]. This was the sole contributing factor to death in 15% of patients.
In a study of patients with traumatic brain injury:
- 51% had life-sustaining measures withdrawn within 72 hours of injury
- 49% had life support withdrawn after 72 hours[5]
The practice of withdrawing life support varies significantly across medical centers:
- In a study of traumatic brain injury patients, withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy accounted for 70.2% of deaths
- This rate ranged from 45.0% to 86.8% across different centers[1]
Several factors contribute to decisions about withdrawing life support:
- Perceived poor neurological prognosis
- Patient age and injury severity
- Hospital type (teaching vs. non-teaching)
- Regional differences
It's important to note that some research suggests caution in making early decisions about life support withdrawal. A study found that 42% of patients who continued on life support and survived regained some independence up to 12 months after injury[2].
Citations:
[1] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3185074/
[2] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-brain-injuries-doctors-and-families-should-take-more-time-with-life-support-decisions-research-finds-180984390/
[3] https://journals.lww.com/ccejournal/fulltext/2021/07000/frequency_of_withdrawal_of_life_sustaining_therapy.23.aspx
[4] https://news.weill.cornell.edu/news/2020/05/doctors-detail-unexpected-recoveries-from-long-term-coma-after-cardiac-arrest
[5] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8486724/
[6] https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/about/newsroom/press-releases/study-reveals-patients-with-brain-injuries-who-died-after-withdrawal-of-life-support-may-have-recovered
[7] https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/2019/07/scientific-statement-on-predicting-survival-for-cardiac-arrest-survivors
[8] https://academic.oup.com/braincomms/article/4/5/fcac188/6673810
This article was written by Sherry Phipps & Perplexity AI