Extreme Measures: Finding a Better Path to the End of Life

I am currently a Hospice patient. Have read over 30 books on end of life issues and this is one of the best.. I also happen to be. a retired physician.Of all the books I read, this author truly gets both sides of making a decision to enter hospice. Book would be helpful for the patient a well as for loved ones and caregivers. Also excellent for the medical profession as a whole.Highly recommended. Author is physician herself and understands when to call it quits.Author is a go--getter and quite revealing of some of her own mis-calls.Well worth reading.

Who'd want to die in an ICU? Not many of us. Dr. Zitter is a rare hybrid--an ICU physician also trained in palliative care for dying patients. Some say this is an oxymoron she writes. In a well-written book, she's chosen cases that illustrate, case by case, the the incredible variety of things that can get screwed up by the innate avoidance by all of us, patients and medical staff, who avoid talking about death, especially at times when the subject must be talked about. And she shows, not tells, us how to go about these situations, not only in general, but also in all of the specifics.This book is accessible, interesting, dramatic, really not macabre, and espouses the notion that death is an inevitable part of all of our lives. Obvious, but the cases illustrate the extraordinary effort we use to avoid the obvious. That brings to mind another book on the subject with a great title, A Beginner's Guide to the End. We beginners thank you, Dr. Z.

I wish there was a way for everyone facing death—and we all will—to be cared for by a doctor as compassionate and caring, authentic and forthright as Dr. Zitter. I truly hope that her vision for quality of life at the end transforms our medicalized prolongation of life for its own sake. Not only is it economically unsustainable but it inflicts unnecessary suffering, separation, and isolation on patients and their loved ones. By bravely helping gravely I’ll patients and their families understand their condition and options, she gives them the gift of choosing to live the best life they can to the end. Her courage in the face of intense pressure from her profession is astonishing. Thank you, Dr. Zitter.

I am only giving 4 stars, because I almost stopped reading at the mention of George Soros. This is not a political subject, and I am still wondering why his inclusion was necessary. Otherwise, a very good book.

The book is engrossing and informative, but it is supposed to be about 330 pages long, and the paperback copy I received ends (in mid-sentence) at page 306. The notes and index are missing, along with a short chapter called "Resources" that would be useful to a reader (like myself) who wanted to follow up on the author's recommendations. So, before you order this book, be sure to contact the seller to be sure that pp. 307–330 are included. I didn't discover the defect until after the 30-day return period.

Extreme Measures is a exceptional book. Dr. Zitter takes on an extremely tough subject and delivers a highly readable, engaging and invaluable read. The book captured me immediately, with Dr. Zitter's vivid account of her personal history, her portrait of her self as a young child enthralled with her father and grandfathers' medical practices. From there she moves on to her career history and how she ended up as an intensivist and palliative care doctor. The vignettes of end of life stories that make up the heart of the book are highly engaging and meaningful--each one is unique and compelling, illustrating the different paths that lead to the patients' end of life decisions made by the patients, doctors and family members. The book makes a compelling argument for all of us to document our own end of life "to do and not to do" lists, and in doing so performs a valuable public service.

I had placed this book on my wish list. I was sure I should read it. I was not sure I wanted to read it. Without divulging my own history, allow me to say that I am a lifelong skeptic in so far as the value of medical treatment for any but the most common human conditions. At the same time I have the highest respect for the sacrifices made by nurses and physicians. In the end, I clicked on the wrong button and ended up with a complete copy in my Kindle.The first time I attempted to read it the early history of author and ancestors caused buyers remorse. The second time I started with chapter 2 and was immediately engrossed. That was because it validated nearly all my firmly held convictions about just how badly so many people end their lives in the ICU. Please consider that living in Brazil and traveling in much of latin america opened my eyes to pain, suffering, and death many years ago. Inflicting it in the ICU seems much worse, however.My parents are deceased. In the ten years following the death of one, management of death had improved remarkably for the other. With the passage of death with dignity here in Colorado, I see a glimmer of hope that death may come to be viewed as merely the end of life. For many it will merely become a release without the fears of anguish so frequently dispensed in the ICU.

Outstanding! Extreme Measures arrived at my door on Friday, I started it Saturday evening, and finished it Sunday afternoon. Replete with personal anecdotes and stories from a career that has spanned more than 20 years, Dr. Zitter succeeds in exploring and revealing the complexities, moral and ethical, of end-of-life care in twenty-first century America. As she so thoughtfully and compassionately points out, striving for a good death is no less important than fiercely fighting to help those who may recover, once the point has been reached where cure is no longer possible and the costs of delaying the inevitable are measured in dehumanizing and often unbearable suffering for patient and family alike.Dr. Zitter is a very gifted writer, but more importantly: She shows herself to be the physician any of us would want caring for ourselves or for our loved ones in our hour of need.

I am firmly in the `do not resuscitate' camp and would hate to spend years hooked up to machines, unable to speak or move or participate in life at even a basic level. This books highlights the fact that, if you don't clearly leave a directive, doctors are obliged to keep you alive even if you can no longer achieve anything. This is an American book so the legal information at the end is inapplicable to the UK. As such, I will investigate how to leave a directive with my medical notes so that I am not kept alive artificially when my body is ready to give up!

L'auteur, médecin spécialiste en médecine de fin de vie, décrit avec intelligence, empathie et sensibilité les coulisses de cet univers de spécialistes qui se soucient davantage de leur propre image que du bien-être de leurs patients mourants, confus, hésitants. Un excellent ouvrage pour tous ceux et celles qui vivent avec ces questions si délicates.

A must read by everyone; know what the typical medical practices are at the end of life and what you or your loved one would want done; my preference is a comfortable natural death; not in the ICU at the hospital; but you need to know how to handle it for yourself (tell your loved ones) or for your loved one (share with your family to get concensus).

This book is excellent and informative. It's certainly made me consider issues about the end of life which I had not been aware of. I strongly urge anyone with a serious illness or with a relative with a serious illness to read it.

Great, eye-opening book regarding end of life decisions. Prolonging life sometimes results in needless suffering.