Articles: palliative-care.
-
We constructed a UK-based decision model of palliative care for terminally ill cancer patients who were switched from a weak to a strong opioid so that the expected direct healthcare costs in the UK could be estimated from the time a patient commenced a strong opioid until death. ⋯ The expected cost of palliative care in the UK healthcare setting ranged from approximately 2500 Pounds to 4000 Pounds (1500 Pounds to 6000 Pounds in the sensitivity analysis) depending on the length of survival after patients switch from weak to strong opioids. Since opioids account for only 2 to 8% of expected costs, factors other than economic issues, such as tolerability profile, patient preference and convenience of use, should form the basis of clinical decision-making between opioids with similar analgesic efficacy.
-
Sixty-four patients with painful metastatic breast cancer in bone were treated with 2 MBq/kg of strontium-89 chloride as a single intravenous injection. Patients were followed with records of medication, hematology parameters, serial bone and Sr-89 bremsstrahlung images and with a point pain score scale (10-0). The response was assessed during a 6-month period of follow-up. ⋯ Furthermore no additional painful metastases on their bone scintigraphic images were observed. The selective strontium-89 local uptake in metastatic sites was also confirmed directly by bremsstrahlung scans which were absolutely comparable to the respective 99mTc bone scans. Precautions have been taken against Sr-89 contamination from the patients' blood or excretions.
-
Case Reports
Chronic pain management--upper visceral malignancies coeliac plexus block with CT scanning--a case report.
Coeliac plexus block has been described more than seventy years ago and is widely used for chronic pain management in upper visceral malignancies. The technique described here is a posterior approach using CT scan guidance with absolute ethyl alcohol. A case illustration of a patient with carcinoma of pancreas managed with coeliac plexus block for pain control is presented.
-
Z Arztl Fortbild Qualitatssich · Aug 1998
[Out-patient hospice services--their importance for palliative care in Germany].
Hospice services can be divided into three groups. Few institutions deliver the full scope of palliative home care, most of the others can provide considerably less. The third group of services are those that do not support patients but aim to establish a home care service or a hospice. ⋯ The number of home care services available in Germany is not sufficient. Only 48 institutions can be ranked as palliative care services. The distribution of the hospice services in Germany is very irregular, and providers of home care services are even more scarce in the eastern part of Germany.