Respecting Spinal Cord Injury Patient Autonomy in the Context of Terminal Extubation.

Despite its legal acceptance, terminal extubation remains a nuanced decision, particularly in patients with spinal cord injury (spinal cord injury).

Approximately 18,000 new traumatic SCIs occur annually in the US, with respiratory failure as the leading cause of death.

We present a case-based ethical analysis of an 88-year-old male with traumatic high-level cervical spinal cord injury who requested terminal extubation following prolonged hospitalization.

He was extubated with palliative support and passed 48 h later.