Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2009
Does palliative home oxygen improve dyspnoea? A consecutive cohort study.
Palliative oxygen for refractory dyspnoea is frequently prescribed, even when the criteria for long-term home oxygen (based on survival, rather than the symptomatic relief of breathlessness) are not met. Little is known about how palliative home oxygen affects symptomatic breathlessness. A 4-year consecutive cohort from a regional community palliative care service in Western Australia was used to compare baseline breathlessness before oxygen therapy with dyspnoea sub-scales on the symptom assessment scores (SAS; 0-10) 1 and 2 weeks after the introduction of oxygen. ⋯ In multi-factor analysis, neither the underlying diagnosis causing breathlessness nor the demographic factors predicted responders at 1 week. Oxygen prescribed on the basis of breathlessness alone across a large population predominantly with cancer does not improve breathlessness for the majority of people. Prospective randomised trials in people with cancer and non-cancer are needed to determine whether oxygen can reduce the progression of breathlessness compared to a control arm.
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2009
Treatment of palliative care emergencies by prehospital emergency physicians in Germany: an interview based investigation.
Palliative care medical emergencies as a consequence of advanced cancer account for approximately 3% of all prehospital emergency cases. Therefore, prehospital emergency physicians (EP) are confronted with 'end of life decisions'. No educational content exists concerning palliative medicine in emergency medicine curricula. ⋯ The emergency treatment of palliative care patients can become a particular challenge for any EP. A large percentage of interviewed EPs felt uncertain about aspects of social care and in the assessment of decisions at the end of life. Further information and training are necessary to amenable EPs to provide adequate patient-oriented care to palliative care patients and their relatives in emergency situations.