Abstract
It is the goal of modern medicine to provide patients in first-aid centers, emergency room and intensive care units with the very best medical treatment available. However, it appears that there are many cases in which patients continue to receive intensive medical treatment until last minutes, even when medical professionals recognize that there is no hope of recovery. According to results of questionnaire distributed to 18 nurses working in the ICU in our hospital, 100 % of the respondents indicated that there were occasions when they felt it was pointless to provide additional heavy treatments such as long term respiratory support, cardio-pulmonary support (IABP, POPS) and many units of plasma for patients that were clearly terminal. It is time to reconsider the limitation of medical treatment and application of emergency and life-support methods. It is recommended that Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) be used when medical professionals select method of treatment.
