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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2010 Jun 1.
Published in final edited form as: J Aging Health. 2009 Mar 5;21(4):627–650. doi: 10.1177/0898264309333316

Table 2.

Surrogates’ Reports of Patients’ Most Common Wish to Not Be Kept Alive by “Machines” or “Extraordinary Measures”

  • Not on a machine just to stay alive

  • No life suspension

  • No keeping alive with machines

  • Not prolong this life

  • If we ever got terminal, don’t hook us up to anything

  • We don’t want life extended by artificial means

  • No advance life support

  • “I wouldn’t want to be kept alive by a machine”

  • Not on any type of machinery to keep her alive; “I don’t want to be kept alive artificially”

  • She wouldn’t want to be hooked up to any system to keep her

  • Absolutely no extra activities to keep him alive

  • No life support

  • If it’s her time she wants to go. “Don’t keep me here. Don’t hook me up.”

  • Didn’t want to be on no support thing, like something to keep her living

  • Didn’t want to be held for 5 years on artificial nourishment