Pulling The Plug

I'm sure you've all heard the term "pulling the plug." This is a reference to disconnecting any machinery or devices that may be keeping an injured or seriously ill person alive, and usually those aids are all that are keeping that person alive. Sometimes, in my line of work, we will receive calls from families who are taking this step, for whatever reasons best known only to them. I don't judge them for doing this, and that's not the purpose of this post. But I do have to wonder what the expectation is when this step is taken. Do the families think the patient will pass away immediately, or within a couple of minutes? The reality is that it can sometimes take hours, or even days, for the person to die. When life-sustaining aids are disconnected or removed, does the patient suffer while the dying process begins? Is there pain? Are they aware of what is happening to them?