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Table 5 Preparation of orders for LST (pre-enforcement) and advance directives (post-enforcement) before visiting the ER

From: Consent for withholding life-sustaining treatment in cancer patients: a retrospective comparative analysis before and after the enforcement of the Life Extension Medical Decision law

Variable

Group

p value

Orders for LST before enforcement of the LEMD law (n = 20)

Advance directives after enforcement of the LEMD law (n = 78)

Length of stay in the ER (min)

510.5 (349.5, 1085)

970.5 (462, 1615)

0.042

Length of hospital stay (days)

5.5 (3, 10)

2 (0, 10)

0.061

Medical expenses (won)

3,593,733.5 (2,439,355.5, 4,899,793.5)

2,167,290.5 (961,601, 6,025,705)

0.133

Type of ER visit

  

0.025

 Direct visit to the ER without transfer from another hospital

10 (50.0)

61 (78.2)

 

 Transfer from another hospital

10 (50.0)

16 (20.5)

 

Transfer from the OPD

0 (0.0)

1 (1.3)

 

Transfer from the ER to a secondary hospital

0 (0.0)

18 (23.1)

0.020

Transfer from the ER to a nursing hospital

0 (0.0)

7 (9.1)

0.339

Survival in the ER

18 (90.0)

74 (94.9)

0.599

Life-sustaining treatments and life-sustaining procedures

   

 Consent to perform CPR

0 (0.0)

0 (0.0)

 

 Consent to perform intubation

1 (5.0)

5 (6.4)

> 0.999

 Consent to perform CRRT

0 (0.0)

4 (5.1)

0.579

 Consent for ICU admission

1 (5.0)

3 (3.9)

> 0.999

Survival at discharge

3 (15.0)

49 (62.8)

0.001

  1. Data are presented as the median (Q1, Q3) for continuous variables and number (%) for categorical variables
  2. LST Life-Sustaining-treatment, CPR cardiopulmonary resuscitation, CRRT continuous renal replacement therapy, ICU intensive care unit, ER emergency room, OPD outpatient department