ABSTRACT
The withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment from patients who might otherwise live for years is sometimes seen as more problematic than limiting life-prolonging measures in situations when death is expected in days or weeks even with all possible treatment. However, such action is best regarded as an extension of the good practice of withdrawing treatment once a trial, albeit over an extended period, has shown there to be no benefit in that there is no hope of recovery from an unacceptable quality of life. The withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment from patients who might otherwise live for years is sometimes seen as more problematic than limiting life-prolonging measures in situations when death is expected in days or weeks even with all possible treatment. Sometimes treatment that is known to be futile is undertaken because of the unwillingness of the doctor to admit to the patient or the family that the situation is hopeless.
