Patte D, Wauters J P, Mignon F
Nephrologie. 1994;15(1):7-11.
In North America, the withdrawal from dialysis is one of the major causes of death among patients treated for end-stage renal disease, especially when it comes to the elderly. The reasons for the decision to terminate treatment are either medical or can be seen in what we commonly call the "quality of life", even though the latter is difficult to define. Situations such as these are hardly ever referred to in European medical literature. They create difficult psychological, ethical and event legal problems that need to be anticipated and resolved for each individual case. According to the authors, the basis for this thinking and the debate surrounding the termination of treatment as well as the final decision to do so ultimately rest with the physician. The quality of the relationship established between patient, family and medical staff during the course of treatment is essential in situations like these.
在北美，停止透析是终末期肾病患者的主要死因之一，尤其是对于老年人而言。决定终止治疗的原因要么是医疗方面的，要么体现在我们通常所说的“生活质量”上，尽管后者很难界定。这类情况在欧洲医学文献中几乎从未被提及。它们引发了棘手的心理、伦理甚至法律问题，需要针对每个具体案例进行预见和解决。据作者称，这种思维方式、围绕终止治疗的辩论以及最终做出终止治疗的决定，其依据最终都在于医生。在这类情况下，治疗过程中患者、家属与医护人员之间建立的关系质量至关重要。
