Study suggests waiting longer before removing life support

A review of a limited number of cases of unconscious patients with severe head injuries has raised questions about the custom of making a decision within 72 hours .

When a patient with severe head injury is in a coma, in intensive care, unconscious and on a ventilator, but not brain dead, what Is it time to remove life support? A small study of the fate of people in such situations suggests that doctors and patients' families can make better decisions if they wait even a few days longer than usual.

Often, a doctor will sit down with family members within 72 hours of the patient's admission to the ICU to discuss the patient's prognosis and whether they wish to keep their loved one in life or remove life support.

Experts say many doctors would describe the outlook as bleak – most likely death or severe disability. Results reported in patients with severe head injuries show that most of the time, the decision is to remove life support. The patient dies.

Researchers behind the new study say their limited data suggests doctors' predictions so soon after injury are often wrong .

The study, published Monday in Journal of Neurotrauma, used a national database including 1,392 head injury patients.

Reviewing the data, they ended up comparing 80 critically injured patients who died after life support was withdrawn, with 80 similar patients whose life support was not withdrawn.

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