Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2011
Palliative sedation, not slow euthanasia: a prospective, longitudinal study of sedation in Flemish palliative care units.
Palliative sedation remains a much debated and controversial issue. The limited literature on the topic often fails to answer ethical questions concerning this practice. ⋯ This study revealed that palliative sedation is only administered in exceptional cases where refractory suffering is evident and for those patients who are close to the ends of their lives. Moreover, this study supports the argument that palliative sedation has no life-shortening effect.