Background and objective: Knowledge of the life-sustaining treatment preferences of the dialysis patients would be extremely helpful to substitute decision-makers and nephrologists in deciding whether to continue or stop a treatment. The population of the Mediterranean countries show this opinion with less frequency. The objective of this study is: 1) the knowledge of the patient's view for the advance directives; it may increase the likelihood to get the correct decisions of the staff when complications break the normal course of chronic dialysis, and 2) the statement of the advance directives.
Material and method: We distributed 135 questionnaires to patients with chronic renal failure in dialysis treatment of the Sabadell's Hospital to explore demographic information about responders and not-responders and explore the rate of questionnaires was completed about the cardiopulmonary resuscitation, respirator, tube feeding and dialysis in case of coma, persistent vegetative state, severe dementia and terminal illness. We explore about the representative of patients and in case of not-responders about the cause to not answer.
Results: Sixty-four of 135 patients (47,8%) did not want cardiopulmonary resuscitation, respirator, tube feeding or dialysis in case of coma, persistent vegetative state, severe dementia or terminal illness. Compared with patients who wanted the treatments, those who did not were older (71,2 versus 62,2 years; p = 0.002). There was no difference in the other demographic questions, including sex (p=0.674), cause of kidney failure (p=0.815), comorbid conditions (p=0.824), and social status (language of questionnaire -0.155- and standard of education -0.288-). Advance care planning does not occur solely within the context of the physician-patient relationship; the respondents reported the representative in the family, essentially. The patients not-responders doesn t want to think in those situations and also they show doubt about the interpretation of their answers.
Conclusions: near 50% patients in chronic dialysis want to stop certain treatments in case of resuscitation cardiopulmonary, coma, persistent vegetative state, severe dementia or terminal illness. The older patients want the limitation of treatments more frequently.