Läkartidningen
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Although midazolam has been proposed for the treatment of a variety of conditions such as anxiety, dyspnoea, hiccups and status epilepticus, terminal agitation is the only condition where its use is based on a reasonably large number of published clinical studies. A causal approach is generally recommended. Whenever possible, the aetiological condition (pain, fever, constipation, etc.) should be corrected. ⋯ Subcutaneous midazolam should be reserved for refractory cases. Attention should be paid to dosage, reduced doses being given to the elderly, patients on opioid medication, and patients with impaired liver or renal function. Overdosage may induce deep sedation, and result in carbon dioxide retention and subsequently heart failure and pulmonary oedema which may be fatal.
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The body's handling of fluid given by intravenous infusion can be analysed and simulated by means of volume kinetics, in which pharmacokinetic principles are applied to dilution-time profiles obtained during fluid therapy. In volume kinetics, the emphasis is on the distribution of fluid to body fluid spaces which accordingly become expanded. These spaces do not always correspond to known anatomical or physiological fluid compartments. The time course of the effect of volume fluid distribution to these spaces may be investigated by means of computer-assisted simulation, or a nomogram based on values for volume kinetic variables obtained from infusion experiments.
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Case Reports
[Nausea is a common symptom in palliative care. Choice of treatment is based on the cause].
Nausea is a common and distressing condition often regarded solely as a symptom. In many cases, however, there is a clear cause, and causal treatment is to be preferred if it is at all possible. In terminal cases, where causal treatment is not always possible, symptomatic pharmaceutical treatment combined with good care and appropriate diet is preferable.