In the context of medicine, heroic measures refer to any courses of treatment or therapy aimed at saving or prolonging a person's life, despite the potential harm those treatments may cause. Heroic measures are almost always used in the scenario of life-threatening situations, when all other viable treatment options have failed, or there is no better treatment option available. The term is not explicitly defined, but rather associated with other umbrella terms, such as advanced care planning and end-of-life care. In conversations, people may use other terms depending on the context, such as "a Hail Mary situation" to emphasize the desperate needs for such treatment.