Discussing Life-sustaining Therapy With Surrogate Decision Makers.

Clinicians caring for patients with severe stroke in intensive care units often grapple with requests from surrogate decision makers for life-prolonging treatment that members of the care team may believe to be futile. An example is a surrogate decision maker's request to place a tracheostomy and feeding tube in a patient who, in the clinical judgment of the neurocritical care team, is very unlikely to recover interactive capacity. This article presents a case, discusses definitions of medical futility, and summarizes recommended steps for mediating conflict regarding potentially inappropriate treatment.