“Unanticipated changes in health status, new medical diagnoses, or worsening of previously
managed conditions often precipitate the prompt to consider emergency general surgery
(EGS) and make other major health-related decisions. Advance Care Planning (ACP) is the
process of understanding and sharing personal values, life goals, and preferences regarding
future medical care. ACP has traditionally focused on end-of-life treatment preferences
(e.g., cardiopulmonary resuscitation or mechanical ventilation), but the ACP paradigm has
been expanded more recently to prepare patients to communicate their medical wishes and
make informed medical decisions. This expanded ACP paradigm (3, 4) seeks to elicit
patients’ values about quality of life and such discussions can help align treatment intensity
with patient preferences to balance short-term risks and longer-term benefits of surgery and
management of post-surgical complications.”