End-of-life care in specific countries During 2011 in Intensive Care Medicine, there were three articles that focused on end-of-life care in specific countries. First, Solarino and colleagues conducted a national survey of Italian physicians following the a high profile death of a 36-year-old woman who had been in a vegetative state for 17 years [60] . The Italian Supreme Court granted the woman's father his wish to discontinue nutrition and hydration. The authors of this paper emailed a questionnaire to 70,000 physicians working for the Italian Public Health System and University Medical Hospitals. 22,219 doctors responded, representing a response rate of 32%. Approximately three-quarters had experience in treating patients in a persistent vegetative state. Approximately 60% of them considered tube feeding to be a medical therapy, and 66% believed that withdrawing artificial nutrition and hydration could be appropriate if based on the patient's wishes. There was broad consensus among Italian physicians that a clear legislative position regarding the withdrawal of artificial nutrition and hydration is needed.