| Title | Legal Euthanasia in Belgium: Characteristics of All Reported Euthanasia Cases. | | Author(s) | Smets T, Bilsen J, Cohen J, Rurup ML, Deliens L | | Institution | From the *End-of-Life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium; and daggerDepartment of Public and Occupational Health, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Expertise Center for Palliative Care, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. | | Source | Med Care 2009 Nov 3. | | Abstract | OBJECTIVES:: To study the reported medical practice of euthanasia in Belgium since implementation of the euthanasia law. RESEARCH
DESIGN:: Analysis of the anonymous database of all euthanasia cases reported to the Federal Control and Evaluation Committee Euthanasia.
SUBJECTS:: All euthanasia cases reported by physicians for review between implementation of the euthanasia law on September 22nd, 2002 and December 31, 2007 (n = 1917).
MEASURES:: Frequency of reported euthanasia cases, characteristics of patients and the decision for euthanasia, drugs used in euthanasia cases, and trends in reported cases over time.
RESULTS:: The number of reported euthanasia cases increased every year from 0.23% of all deaths in 2002 to 0.49% in 2007. Compared with all deaths in the population, patients who died by euthanasia were more often younger (82.1% of patients who received euthanasia compared with 49.8% of all deaths were younger than 80, P < 0.001), men (52.7% vs. 49.5%, P = 0.005), cancer patients (82.5% vs. 23.5%, P < 0.001), and more often died at home (42.2% vs. 22.4%, P < 0.001). Euthanasia was most often performed with a barbiturate, sometimes in combination with neuromuscular relaxants (92.4%) and seldom with morphine (0.9%). In almost all patients, unbearable physical (95.6%) and/or psychological suffering (68%) were reported. A small minority of cases (6.6%) concerned nonterminal patients, mainly suffering from neuromuscular diseases.
CONCLUSIONS:: The frequency of reported euthanasia cases has increased every year since legalization. Euthanasia is most often chosen as a last resort at the end of life by younger patients, patients with cancer, and seldom by nonterminal patients. | | Language | ENG | | Pub Type(s) | JOURNAL ARTICLE
| | PubMed ID | 19890220 |
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