Withholding and/or Withdrawing Life-sustaining Treatment on Emergency Department Patients' Short- and Long-term Outcomes

Background In France, a significant proportion of end-of-life (EOL) decisions occur in emergency departments (EDs), where time constraints and limited resources may hinder optimal care. Although withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatments (WHWD) is common in this context, the impact of timing on patient outcomes remains unclear.

Objective:

To assess how the timing of WHWD decisions influences short- and long-term outcomes among ED patients.

Methods:

We conducted a retrospective, observational study at Beaujon Hospital's ED (Paris, France) between January 2020 and December 2021. We included 354 adult patients admitted to the observation unit with a WHWD decision. Patients were categorized into early (eWHWD) and late (lWHWD) groups based on the median time to decision. The primary endpoint was 28-day all-cause mortality. Cox regression was used for survival analysis, adjusting for age, sex, comorbidities, functional status, and severity of illness.

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Key information

Conditions

WITHOLDING WITHDRAWING in End of Life Situation

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Hopital Beaujon

Clichy, Île-de-France (Paris), 92110, France

Who can participate

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

To be included, patients hospitalised after their ED visit must be admitted to the observation unit (OU) in association with a mention of a withholding/withdrawing of the life-sustaining treatment in the ED medical record.

Exclusion criteria

Treatment and study plan

No Intervention: Observational Cohort

Other

NO INTERVENTION

Primary outcomes

all-cause mortality

Time frame: 28-days

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Beaujon Hospital

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Early Decision Effect of Withholding and/or Withdrawing Life-sustaining Treatment on Emergency Department Patients' Short- and Long-term Outcomes: a Retrospective Analysis.

Important dates

Study start: 2020
Primary completion: 2023
Study completion: 2023
First posted: Aug 11, 2025
Registry last updated: Aug 11, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

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This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.