Abstract

QUINTERO CARRENO, Valeria; MARTINEZ VASQUEZ, Catalina  and  AGAMEZ LNSIGNARES, Claudia. Palliative sedation in terminal desease. rev.colomb.cancerol. [online]. 2022, vol.26, n.1, pp.3-13.  Epub Sep 02, 2022. ISSN 0123-9015.  https://doi.org/10.35509/01239015.702.

Palliative sedation (PS) is frequently applied in some patients with terminal illness, who are near the end of life, to ameliorate unendurable and refractory distress; it is considered an effective treatment modality for the management of refractory symptoms when aggressive efforts do not provide relief. PS consists of the use of medications that induce sedation and decrease the level of consciousness with the aim of relieving intolerable suffering in the last days of life. The most frequent physical refractory symptoms are pain, delirium, and dyspnea, but PS is also indicated to treat existential suffering or psychological distress, which is an extremely difficult and delicate problem. PS has been widely debated given its obvious ethical, sociocultural, and decision-making implications. It has been reported that PS is given to 2-52% of patients with terminal illness; studies have suggested that PS is successful in managing intractable symptoms at the end of life, satisfactory for family members, and does not have detrimental effects on survival.

Keywords : sedation; end of life; palliative care; refractory symptoms; terminal illness; suffering.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )