"If I had only known"--on choice and uncertainty in the ICU

N Engl J Med. 2012 Nov 8;367(19):1779-81. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp1209698.

Abstract

After receiving a ventricular assist device, a patient experiences months of advances and setbacks in the ICU. She's one of a new subcategory of ICU patients: the chronically critically ill. Their stories reveal shortcomings of common perspectives on medical decision making.

MeSH terms

  • Choice Behavior*
  • Chronic Disease / therapy*
  • Critical Care* / psychology
  • Decision Making
  • Family
  • Female
  • General Surgery
  • Heart Failure / therapy
  • Heart-Assist Devices
  • Humans
  • Intensive Care Units
  • Patients / psychology
  • Uncertainty*