Dear Barbara, Will you discuss palliative sedation?
Palliative sedation is a term used by hospice, palliative care, and medical professionals to describe giving large doses of sleep-inducing medications to induce unconsciousness. It is a pain management technique used when all other pain management options have been unsuccessful. It is not routinely used. I would even say it is seldom used.
The National Cancer Institute defines palliative sedation as: “The use of special drugs called sedatives to relieve extreme suffering by making a patient calm, unaware, or unconscious. This may be done for patients who have symptoms that cannot be controlled with other treatments. Palliative sedation may be used in patients who are near the end of life to make them more comfortable. It is not meant to shorten life or cause death.”
I found many other definitions (I love the internet), but this one was the easiest to understand and said what the others were saying but in much less technical detail.
When the terminal illness, the disease progression, has been a pain-filled experience and all comfort management options have been unsuccessful, then sleep is our friend. Sleep, created by regulated, supervised medications, is a compassionate alternative to uncontrollable suffering.
Covid taught us the benefit of “putting a person to sleep” as their body heals. That same technique can also be used as end of life approaches. Not to accelerate the end of life process, but to provide comfort until death comes.
Something More… about Using Palliative Sedation At End of Life
With today’s medical advancements there is no reason for a person to die in uncontrolled pain. If we are in extreme pain and suffering we cannot relax and peacefully leave our bodies. Reading Pain At End of Life helps families understand all the ways that a hospice team can ease pain with the dying.
17 comments
I am wondering how Palluative care or hospice benefits family members with late stages of Alzheimer’s? Maybe for me but my spouse?
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BK Books replied:
Hi Wendy, The benefits for the caregiver of people with dementia, particularly when that care is provided at home versus a facility, is the support and guidance revolving around the dying process. There is also the financial benefit of supplies, equipment, activities of daily living (ADL) provided. It does not provide shift coverage but does offer volunteer respite support. It offers professional guidance as you travel this unknown road. Blessings! Barbara
What meds can be used for this when opioids and benzos cause scary hallucinatory events?? I am unaware of other meds the would cause unconscious sedation…propofol? Somehow I doubt hospices use that but perhaps they do.
Thank you
Thank you.
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BK Books replied:
Hi Sally, I’m sorry I don’t have an answer for you, different places make different choices. A lot depends on the patient’s medical history and the medical personnel’s drugs of choice. Ask your doctor and or the hospice if you are using one. Blessings! Barbara
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