Palliative care and limitation of life support in intensive care

Abstract The Limitation of Life Support has been applied in intensive care in cases of irreversible disease and futile treatment. In these situations, palliative care aims at preventing and alleviating suffering. It becomes essential to provide specific and ongoing care to patients and their families, enabling death with dignity. This study involved qualitative research carried out with 37 health professionals working within the multidisciplinary team in a Clinical Surgical Intensive Care Unit of a public hospital located in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil. Through the thematic analysis of the data, four themes were formed, which made it possible to investigate the knowledge of the team regarding the subject and develop palliative care actions for patients with limitation of life support in intensive care. The professionals recognized the importance of Palliative Care for these patients in the Intensive Care Unit.