[Withholding medical care as a physical injury--homicide from the viewpoint of the physician].
Limitation and termination of intensive care and in particular life support in patients who do not have a chance to recover from their illness has become a widely accepted approach in intensive care medicine. In well defined situations, life support can be withheld or withdrawn without the risk of becoming a criminal case. Frequently, the physician must base his/her decision on the presumed will of the patient which can be difficult to assess. Existing guidelines of the Society of physicians of Germany, which are partly preliminary, are helpful for the decision process of the physicians as well as of the relatives of the patients.
Falke
K J
KJ
Klinik für Anästhesiologie und operative Intensivmedizin, Universitätsklinikum Charité, Berlin. KJFalke@charite.de
D005066:Euthanasia, Passive / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008020:Life Support Care / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D008318:Malpractice / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D018447:Medical Futility; D016079:Refusal to Treat / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*