Compassionate Extubation For A Peaceful Death In The Setting Of A Community Hospital: A Case-series Study
Geriatrics & Gerontology; Life; Quality Of Death; Withdrawal; Intensive-care-unit; Palliative Care; Palliative Extubation; Good Death; Mechanical Ventilation; Support; End; Compassionate Extubation; Euthanasia; Hospice Care; Murder; Terminal Care/methods; Airway Extubation - Methods; Hospitals; Community - Organization & Administration; Geriatrics; Compassionate Extubation; Rc952-954.6
Compassionate Extubation; Palliative Extubation; Good Death; Hospice Care; Quality Of Death
Background
The use of compassionate extubation (CE) to alleviate suffering by terminating mechanical ventilation and withdrawing the endotracheal tube requires professional adherence and efficiency. The Hospice Palliative Care Act, amended on January 9, 2013, legalizes the CE procedure in Taiwan.
Methods
From September 20, 2013 to September 2, 2014, the hospice palliative care team at a community hospital received 20 consultations for CE. Eight cases were excluded because of non-qualification. Following approval from the Ethics Committee, the medical records of the remaining 12 patients were reviewed and grouped by the underlying disease: A, “terminal-stage cancer”; B, “non-cancer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest”; and C, “non-cancer organ failure”. Time to extubation using a cut-off at 48 hours was assessed.
Results
The mean ages of patients (standard deviation) in groups A, B, and C were 66.3 (14.9) years, 72 (19.1) years, and 80.3 (4.0) years, respectively. The mean number of days of intubation at consultation were 6.8 (4.9), 7.3 (4.9), and 179.3 (271.6), respectively. The mean total doses of opioids (as morphine-equivalent dose) in the 24 hours preceding CE were 76 (87.5) mg, 3.3 (5.8) mg, and 43.3 (15.3) mg. The median times from extubation (range) to death were 97 (0.2–245) hours, 0.3 (0.2–0.4) hours, and 6.1 (3.6–71.8) hours. Compared to those requiring <48-hour preparatory time, patients requiring >48 hours to the moment of CE were younger (62.8 years vs 75.5 years), required a mean time of 122 hours (vs 30 hours) to CE (P=0.004), had shorter length of stay (33.3 days vs 77.8 days), required specialist social worker intervention in 75% of cases (vs 37.5%), and had a median duration of intubation of 11.5 days (vs 5.5 days).
Conclusion
CE was carried out according to protocol, and the median time from extubation to death varies determined by the underlying disease which was 0.3 hour in patients admitted after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and 97 hours in patients with advanced cancer.
Victor C Kok
Clinical Interventions In Aging
2016
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Measuring Quality of Dying, Death and End-Of-Life Care for Children and Young People: A Scoping Review of Available Tools
Hospice Care; Terminal Care; Adolescent; Child; Humans; Palliative Care; Quality of Life; Reproducibility of Results; Adolescent; Palliative Care; Quality of Death; Quality of Dying; Review; Terminal Care; Tools
BACKGROUND: The circumstances and care provided at the end of a child's life have a profound impact on family members. Although assessing experiences and outcomes during this time is challenging, healthcare professionals have a responsibility to ensure high quality of care is provided. AIM: To identify available tools which measure the quality of dying, death and end-of-life care for children and young people; describe the content, and data on validity and reliability of existing tools. DESIGN: Scoping review was conducted following the Arksey and O'Malley methodological framework. DATA SOURCES: Four electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and PsycINFO) and grey literature were searched for studies published in English (January 2000-June 2021). A review of reference lists and citation searching was also undertaken. Tools needed to include a focus on the 'dying' phase of illness (defined as the last month of life). RESULTS: From 2078 articles, a total of 18 studies, reporting on 11 tools were identified. All tools were completed by primary caregivers or healthcare professionals as 'proxy' assessments; all except one was undertaken after death. Question items about quality of life and preparation for death were found in all tools; items relating to cultural aspects of care, grief and financial costs were less common. Only 6/11 had undergone psychometric testing within a paediatric palliative care setting. CONCLUSIONS: Future research should include ways to adapt, refine and improve existing tools. Assessing their wider application in different clinical and cultural settings and conducting further psychometric assessment represent areas of focus.
Mayland CR; Sunderland KA; Cooper M; Taylor P; Powell PA; Zeigler L; Cox V; Gilman C; Turner N; Flemming K; Fraser LK
Palliative Medicine
2022
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1177/02692163221105599" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1177/02692163221105599</a>
Clinician perception of care at the end of life in a quaternary neonatal intensive care unit
Infant, Newborn; palliative care; symptom management; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; Intensive Care Units; Nicu; neonatal death; end of life care; quality of death
INTRODUCTION: Care for neonates at the end of life (EOL) is often challenging for families and medical teams alike, performed suboptimally, and requires an experienced and compassionate clinician. Much literature exists on adult and pediatric EOL care, but limited studies examine the neonatal process. METHODS: We aimed to describe clinicians' experiences around EOL care in a single quaternary neonatal intensive care unit as we implemented a standard guideline using the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit-Quality of Dying and Death 20 tool. RESULTS: Surveys were completed by 205 multidisciplinary clinicians over three time periods and included 18 infants at EOL. While most responses were high, a meaningful minority were below goal (<8 on 0-10 scale) for troubling symptom management, conflict between parents and staff, family access to resources, and parent preparation of symptoms. Comparison between Epochs revealed improvement in one symptom management and four communication categories. Satisfaction scores related to education around EOL were better in later Epochs. Neonatal Pain, Agitation, and Sedation Scale scores were low, with few outliers. DISCUSSION: These findings can guide those aiming to improve processes around neonatal EOL by identifying areas with the greatest challenges (e.g., conflict management) and areas that need further study (e.g., pain management around death).
Imai L; Gray MM; Kim BJH; Lyle ANJ; Bock A; Weiss EM
Frontiers in Pediatrics
2023
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2023.1197360" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.3389/fped.2023.1197360</a>