Palliative sedation is option for intractable pain
Although palliative sedation is used in hospitals to control intractable pain, there is little literature describing its use in a home setting for hospice patients. A study in the Journal of Palliative Care demonstrates the effectiveness of palliative sedation at home and the opportunity to grant the patient's wish to die at home.1
The retrospective study evaluated the records of 36 terminal patients who received palliative sedation. Cancer was the diagnosis for 35 patients, and most patients suffered from one or more symptoms. The most common symptom was intractable pain, followed by agitation and existential suffering.
Drugs used for sedation were midazolam, morphine, haloperidol, fentanyl TTS, and promethazine. Symptom control occurred within 24 hours, and good symptom control was achieved in 28 of the 36 patients. The median duration of the sedation was three days.
Researchers concluded that palliative sedation is an effective option for patients who want to remain at home at the end of life.
Reference
1. Rosengarten OS, Lamed Y, Zisling T, et al. Palliative sedation at home. J Palliative Care 2009; 25:5-11. t
Although palliative sedation is used in hospitals to control intractable pain, there is little literature describing its use in a home setting for hospice patients.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content