Mean survival after the initiation of continuous palliative sedation is reported to be one to six days. We aimed to evaluate whether PST has a detrimental effect on survival in terminally ill patients. Because cases involving palliative sedation are emotionally stressful, the patient, family, and health care workers can all benefit from talking about the complex medical, ethical, and emotional issues they raise. Various publications show that continuous palliative sedation that is correctly administered to patients with a very short prognosis does not hasten death. Palliative sedation therapy (PST) is indicated for and used to control refractory symptoms in cancer patients undergoing palliative care. The attending physician needs to explain to them, as well as to the medical and nursing staff, the details of care and the justification for palliative sedation. It is the progression of the disease that causes the body to gradually shut down and eventually die. Studies clearly show that palliative sedation does not hasten death. The patient or family should agree with plans for palliative sedation. Q: Does palliative sedation actually hasten death A: No. While studies have shown that palliative sedation does not seem to hasten death in the majority of patients,24,35 the retrospective nature of these data leaves. Because intention plays a key role in this doctrine, clinicians must understand and document which actions are consistent with an intention to relieve symptoms rather than to hasten death. Such high doses are permissible even if the risk of hastening death is foreseen. ![]() The doctrine of double effect, the traditional justification for palliative sedation, permits physicians to provide high doses of opioids and sedatives to relieve suffering, provided that the intention is not to cause the patient's death and that certain other conditions are met. Palliative sedation is effective for reducing the suffering of terminally ill cancer patients without hastening death. The use of sedation for relief of symptoms is, in our opinion, open to abuse and it cannot be denied that some physicians ostensibly administer medication to relieve symptoms, but with a covert intention of hastening the patient's death 16. ![]() ![]() After other approaches proved ineffective, palliative sedation was an option of last resort. An inappropriate and excessive use of palliative sedation is directly linked to limited experience in palliative care or to operator burnout and fatigue 14, 15. A patient with metastatic breast cancer, receiving high doses of opioids administered to relieve pain, developed myoclonus. Despite skilled palliative care, some dying patients experience distressing symptoms that cannot be adequately relieved.
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