Withdrawal of mechanical ventilation in pediatric and neonatal intensive care units

Abstract

Withdrawing life-sustaining technologies requires all of the resources and concepts that the field of palliative care has to offer. By learning some fundamental principles of medical management at the time of withdrawal and by mastering a few communication techniques, pediatricians, neonatologists, and pediatric intensivists can dramatically improve the care provided to their patients at the end of life. Although we may argue in pediatrics if there is ever such a thing as a good death, we should all strive to ensure one that is free of suffering, and one that supports the family in moving down a path of healthy grief and recovery.