[Treatment of non-painful symptoms in terminally ill children]

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Palliative Care
• Symptom Management in Children

Context:

• End-of-life care for children is advancing.
• Over half of dying children experience intractable symptoms.
• Clinical research on pediatric palliative care symptoms is limited.

Purpose:

• To review evidence on managing various symptoms in dying children.
• To provide empirical approaches for symptom management when evidence is scarce.
• To highlight the need for further clinical research in pediatric palliative care.

Summary:

• The review covers evidence for fatigue, anorexia, dyspnea, respiratory secretions, cough, constipation, dry mouth, urinary obstruction, terminal convulsions, and gasping.
• For symptoms lacking evidence-based data, an empiric approach is suggested.
• Short-acting benzodiazepines are noted as a simple, important treatment component.

Impact:

• Aims to improve the quality of life for dying children.
• Supports clinicians in managing complex end-of-life symptoms.
• Emphasizes the importance of comfort and relationships during a child's final days.