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For the study, researchers mailed a survey to 2,100 surgeons who perform high-risk procedures. The survey detailed a hypothetical vignette of a patient who suffered a hemiplegic stroke and respiratory failure to determine what factors would influence surgeons’ willingness to pull life support. Ultimately, 56 percent of surgeons responded.
Results showed 63 percent of surgeons would not honor the patient/patient’s family to withdraw life support at day seven. This unwillingness increased when the vignette showed the patient’s outcomes were due to a surgical error. Surgeons who would not withdraw life support attributed their decision to optimism and the belief that patients are unable to predict future quality of life.
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