Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA
-
To add or not to add? An empirical study on droperidol and intravenous patient-controlled analgesia.
Droperidol is commonly added to intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IVPCA) regimens as an antiemetic agent. Although some studies have demonstrated its safety and efficacy, it is not clear whether adding droperidol to IVPCA infusate without an extra loading dose can effectively reduce the incidence and severity of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in real-life clinical settings. ⋯ A loading dose should be considered on the 1st postoperative day. Our study suggests just how beneficial droperidol can be to IVPCA users in practical clinical settings, showing that droperidol can reduce with some significance the amount and severity of nausea suffered by patients postoperatively, even if the frequency of patient vomiting remains unchanged.
-
This study investigated the impact of hospice care on end-of-life elderly patients with lung cancer in Taiwan. ⋯ Hospice care has provided a humane and cost-efficient pathway for end-of-life elderly patients with lung cancer. Parenteral nutrition/hydration should be limited for terminal care patients. Opioids should be promoted for the relief of pain and dyspnea in acute ward care. Family physicians and radiation oncologists play important roles in hospice care. Compared with the prevalence of hospice care in the United Kingdom and other developed countries, hospice care in Taiwan is in the position to be expanded.