[Pharmacological Treatment in End-of-Life Sedation]

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care
• Clinical Pharmacology
• Nursing Science

Background:

• Pharmacological management is crucial for controlling physical symptoms in end-of-life care.
• Palliative sedation is a key intervention for managing severe, refractory symptoms in terminally ill patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review essential issues in managing clinical nursing situations during palliative sedation.
• To identify commonly used drugs in palliative sedation for agony.

Main Methods:

• Literature search conducted in Scopus, CINAHL, Medline-PubMed, and Google Scholar.
• Keywords used: "palliative sedation", "pharmacology", "nursing care", and "palliative care".

Main Results:

• Palliative sedation aims to reduce consciousness to alleviate intense suffering from symptoms like refractory delirium, dyspnea, or bleeding.
• Subcutaneous injection is the preferred route; midazolam and levomepromazine are first-line sedatives, with morphine chloride commonly used for equi-analgesic opioid doses.
• Nursing care is fundamental, involving sedation monitoring (e.g., Ramsay scale) and recognizing signs of discomfort for rescue medication or treating intercurrent issues.

Conclusions:

• Effective nursing management and appropriate pharmacological choices are vital for successful palliative sedation.
• Continuous monitoring and prompt intervention by nurses are essential to ensure patient comfort and symptom relief in end-of-life care.