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editorial |
The use of sedation to relieve cancer patients' suffering at the end of life: addressing critical issues
Department of Medical Oncology, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
* (E-mail: chernyn@netvision.net.il)
| The first 10% of the full text of this article appears below. |
As oncologists, we have a clinical and ethical responsibility to relieve the suffering of our patients as they approach the end of life. In situations of otherwise intractable suffering, sedation, to induce a state of decreased or absent awareness (unconsciousness), has emerged as a critically important therapeutic option to relieve the burden of otherwise intolerable distress [1, 2]. The aim is to provide adequate relief of distress in a manner that is ethically acceptable to the patient, family and health care providers. Apart from its use for patients undergoing noxious procedures and in weaning from ventilator support, sedation is a treatment of last resort because of its anticipated adverse outcomes and potential risks.
Pragmatically, the anticipated adverse outcomes of sedation for the patient are impairment or loss
sedation and hastening death
so, what do we tell the patient and their family?
sedation is never trivial
the case for procedural guidelines