Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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A partnership between The Cleveland Clinic Foundation and The Cleveland Music School Settlement has resulted in music therapy becoming a standard part of the care in our palliative medicine inpatient unit. This paper describes a music therapy program and its impact on patients, their families, and staff. ⋯ Specific music therapy interventions, evaluation and documentation techniques are also mentioned. A description of patient and family responses to music therapy, staff satisfaction, and effectiveness of interventions is presented.
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Support Care Cancer · May 2001
Determinants of the sensation of thirst in terminally ill cancer patients.
While a sensation of thirst causes severe distress for a certain proportion of cancer patients in the terminal stage, the factors contributing to this symptom have not been established. To clarify the association between sensation of thirst and medical factors, especially dehydration, a cross-sectional observational study was performed on terminally ill cancer patients receiving inpatient hospice care. On admission to a palliative care unit, 88 consecutive patients underwent blood sampling and were requested to rate the intensity of thirst on a visual analogue scale (VAS). ⋯ In addition, mouth breathing and opioids were determined to be a potential clinical cause of severe thirst when a retrospective chart review was carried out. In conclusion, sensation of thirst is a frequent symptom in terminally ill cancer patients and is associated with dehydration, hyperosmolality, poor general conditions, stomatitis, oral breathing, and opioids. Careful assessments and treatment of underlying causes is important to alleviate patients' distress.
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Support Care Cancer · May 2001
Case ReportsGabapentin for opiod-related myoclonus in cancer patients.
Chronic opioid medication has been found to cause myoclonus in patients taking it for cancer pain. Gabapentin seemed a likely candidate for the treatment of this myoclonus and has indeed proved useful, as illustrated in this paper by two case histories.