ICU sedation, delirium & recovery
End-of-life decision disparities according to the gross national income in critically ill patients: a secondary analysis of the ETHICUS-2 study
Authors' conclusion
Outcomes are significantly associated with gross national income (GNI). Moreover, patients in high-income nations tend to have shorter ICU stays before death.
Study context
- Population
- Adult intensive care units (ICU) patients who died between September 1, 2015, and September 30, 2016
- Participants
- 10,547 ICU non-survivors
- Comparison
- End-of-life decisions and time to death across gross national income (GNI) groups
- Primary endpoint
- Association of end-of-life decisions and time to death
Methodological detailspost hoc analysis, prospective recruitment, worldwide, 199 ICUs in 36 countries
- Post hoc analysis
- Prospective recruitment
- Worldwide
- 199 ICUs in 36 countries
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
Time to death
- Significantly shorter time to death in high-income vs middle-income countries
Further findings
- Therapeutic decisions significantly but variably associated with ICU length of stay (LOS) across GNI groups
- No decision in high-income countries: shortest LOS overall
- Withdrawing or withholding life-sustaining treatment: longer LOS in middle and high GNI countries
Original publication
End-of-life decision disparities according to the gross national income in critically ill patients: a secondary analysis of the ETHICUS-2 study. Ann Intensive Care. Published 8 March 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →