TABLE 4.
Preceding Events Prior to Death
| Characteristics | Patients (N = 2,100), n (%) | Large Teaching (n = 1,326), n (%) | Small Teaching (n = 196), n (%) | Non-teaching (n = 578), n (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WLST for perceived poor neurologic prognosis | 516 (25) | 394 (30) | 39 (19) | 84 (15) |
| Sole cause | 331 (15) | 274 (21) | 14 (7) | 43 (7) |
| WLST for non-neurologic reasons | 1,168 (56) | 695 (52) | 133 (68) | 340 (59) |
| Sole cause | 886 (42) | 526 (40) | 105 (54) | 255 (44) |
| Limitations | 387 (18) | 206 (16) | 31 (16) | 150 (26) |
| Sole cause | 250 (12) | 121 (10) | 27 (14) | 102 (18) |
| Full treatment | 244 (12) | 145 (11) | 16 (8) | 83 (14) |
| Brain death | 61 (3) | 58 (4) | 1 (1) | 2 (1) |
| Unable to determine | 18 (1) | 12 (1) | 2 (1) | 4 (1) |
WLST = withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy.