CONCLUSION
The issue addressed in the present study was the practice
of orthothanasia, or the non-prolonging of a terminally
ill patient’s life by artificial means. The contribution of
integrated palliative care, so that these decisions could be
made in the intensive care unit, was evident. However,
more multicenter studies are required to better explore
these issues and understand the current situation in Brazil
in order to confirm the importance of early palliative care
in patient care.