Bjørn Ibsen: intensive care and the conundrum of prolonging death

Berend Mets

doi:10.1016/j.bja.2025.11.037

Bjørn Ibsen: intensive care and the conundrum of prolonging death

Berend Mets

Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine

Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › peer-review

Abstract

SummaryBy demonstrating that positive pressure ventilation could save the life of a poliomyelitis victim in 1952 in Copenhagen, Dr Bjørn Ibsen brought anaesthesia techniques to the wards. But this also raised the conundrum that artificial ventilation could prolong the onset of death. And so launched a national polemic that resulted in Danish legislation requiring doctors not to prolong death by artificial means, but instead to allow patients to die in peace and dignity.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	820-823
Number of pages	4
Journal	British Journal of Anaesthesia
Volume	136
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2025.11.037
State	Published - Mar 2026

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine

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10.1016/j.bja.2025.11.037

Cite this

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abstract = "SummaryBy demonstrating that positive pressure ventilation could save the life of a poliomyelitis victim in 1952 in Copenhagen, Dr Bj{\o}rn Ibsen brought anaesthesia techniques to the wards. But this also raised the conundrum that artificial ventilation could prolong the onset of death. And so launched a national polemic that resulted in Danish legislation requiring doctors not to prolong death by artificial means, but instead to allow patients to die in peace and dignity.",

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AB - SummaryBy demonstrating that positive pressure ventilation could save the life of a poliomyelitis victim in 1952 in Copenhagen, Dr Bjørn Ibsen brought anaesthesia techniques to the wards. But this also raised the conundrum that artificial ventilation could prolong the onset of death. And so launched a national polemic that resulted in Danish legislation requiring doctors not to prolong death by artificial means, but instead to allow patients to die in peace and dignity.

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Bjørn Ibsen: intensive care and the conundrum of prolonging death

Abstract

UN SDGs

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

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