Saving Lives and Saving Deaths
Authors: Judith E. Nelson
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1999)

On Being a Doctor4 May 1999Saving Lives and Saving DeathsJudith E. Nelson, MD, JDJudith E. Nelson, MD, JDMount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029 (Nelson)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-130-9-199905040-00020 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail In my office adjacent to the medical intensive care unit, I have a growing file of letters from relatives of patients we have treated, thanking us for our care. But the majority of these letters are not from families of patients who survived. Rather, most come from people who have lost a loved one, from the bereaved survivors of patients who died in our intensive care unit (ICU). Yet they are deeply grateful for what we did. At first, I found these letters ironic and odd. I expected and basked in appreciation for lives saved. But the ones about lives ... Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029 (Nelson)Corresponding Author: Judith E. Nelson, MD, JD, Medical Intensive Care Unit, Box 1232, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029; e-mail, [email protected]mssm.edu. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byGratitude between patients and their families and health professionals: A scoping reviewTerminal Withdrawal of Mechanical Ventilation: A Hospice Perspective for the IntensivistDevelopment and evaluation of an interprofessional communication intervention to improve family outcomes in the ICUPerioperative Death: A Critical Reflection-on-ActionEnd-of-life communication in the intensive care unitWhat can we learn from the experiences of consultants around the time of a child's death?Duration of Withdrawal of Life Support in the Intensive Care Unit and Association with Family SatisfactionMeeting Physicians' Responsibilities in Providing End-of-Life CareThe Nonviable Patient and Organ ProcurementA study of staff support mechanisms within children’s hospicesImproving Palliative Care For Patients In The Intensive Care UnitAtendimento domiciliar ao idoso: problema ou solução?Communicating about end-of-life care with patients and families in the intensive care unitStudying communication about end-of-life care during the ICU family conference: Development of a frameworkTreatment of a “Classic” Intensive Care Unit PatientJACS CME-1 featured articles, volume 194, January 2002Patient assessment in palliative care: how to see the “big picture” and what to do when “there is no more we can do” 1 1No competing interests declared.The family conference as a focus to improve communication about end-of-life care in the intensive care unit: Opportunities for improvementEnd-of-life care in the intensive care unit: Can we do better?The Surgeon and Palliative CareThe Relationship Between Surgery and Medicine in Palliative CareDecision Making and End-of-Life Care in Critically Ill ChildrenDialysis discontinuation and palliative careA Bibliography of Recent Pharmaceutical Care Articles on Pain Management and End-of-Life Care Issues 4 May 1999Volume 130, Issue 9Page: 776-777KeywordsIntensive care unitsMedical intensive care unitsMortalityPalliative carePulmonary embolismResidencyResuscitationShockTraditional medicineVentilators ePublished: 15 August 2000 Issue Published: 4 May 1999 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1999 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...