II Forum of the "End of Life Study Group of the Southern Cone of America": palliative care definitions, recommendations and integrated actions for intensive care and pediatric intensive care units.

Palliative care is aimed to improve the quality of life of both patients and their family members during the course of life-threatening diseases through the prevention, early identification and treatment of the symptoms of physical, psychological, spiritual and social suffering. Palliative care should be provided to every critically ill patient; this requirement renders the training of intensive care practitioners and education initiatives fundamental. Continuing the Technical Council on End of Life and Palliative Care of the Brazilian Association of Intensive Medicine activities and considering previously established concepts, the II Forum of the End of Life Study Group of the Southern Cone of America was conducted in October 2010.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with 2009 influenza A(H1N1) virus infection with respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of critically ill patients with 2009 influenza A(H1N1).

Methods: An observational study of patients with confirmed or probable 2009 influenza A(H1N1) and respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation was performed.

Results: We studied 96 patients (mean age, 45 [14] years [mean, SD]; 44% female).

Perceptions about end of life treatment in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay intensive care units.

Abstract Objective: To evaluate end-of-life procedures in intensive care units.

Methods: A questionnaire was prepared by the End-of-Life Study Group of the Argentinean, Brazilian and Uruguayan Intensive Care societies, collecting data on the participants’ demographics, institutions and limit therapeutic effort (LTE) decision making process. During this cross sectional study, the societies’ multidisciplinary teams members completed the questionnaire either during scientific meetings or online.

1st Forum of the Southern Cone End-of-Life Study Group: proposal for care of patients, bearers of terminal disease staying in the ICU.

Withholding of treatment in patients with terminal disease is increasingly common in intensive care units, throughout the world. Notwithstanding, Brazilian intensivists still have a great difficulty to offer the best treatment to patients that have not benefited from curative care. The objective of this comment is to suggest an algorithm for the care of terminally ill patients.