Journal of pain and symptom management
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Dec 2005
Clinical TrialWhen nothing helps: propofol as sedative and antiemetic in palliative cancer care.
Benzodiazepines, neuroleptics, and barbiturates are commonly used for sedation to achieve symptom control in end-of-life care. Propofol has several advantages over traditional sedating agents that would indicate its use in treatment-refractory situations. We report on the use of propofol in 35 patients. ⋯ The mean dose range during the infusion period was 0.67-1.01 mg/kg/h. The effect was judged as good or very good in 69% of the patients. Based on our experience, we propose clinical guidelines on the safe use of propofol in specialized palliative inpatient units.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Dec 2005
Retrospective analysis of antibiotic use and survival in advanced cancer patients with infections.
Infection is common among advanced cancer patients. This study was undertaken to review the pattern of use of antibiotics and to identify potential factors that could affect outcomes after infection. The medical records of all patients with advanced cancer who were enrolled into the palliative care service of a district hospital during the period January, 2002 to July, 2002 were retrospectively reviewed for infections and the use of antibiotics. ⋯ Dyspnea was possibly associated with poor prognosis during the treatment of infections in patients with advanced cancer, and antibiotic therapy according to sensitivity was associated with better prognosis. Further studies are encouraged to verify this. The bioethical principles on the use of antibiotics as a life-sustaining treatment should always be followed.