Palliative Care Flashcards
What timeline does end of life mean?
Final weeks of life
What do you call the last days to hours of life?
Terminal care
What does palliative care actually mean?
Care for those with a terminal illness (but death doesn’t necessarily have to be close)
Signs that someone is dying :(
Progressively bed bound Increasingly drowsy Decreasing communication Decreasing oral intake Progressive loss of swallow
Common symptoms in the last hours and days of life
Pain
Agitation/distress
Noisy breathing (upper airway secretions)
Nausea
What pain medication do you give?
Morphine sulphate 2.5mg prn sc
If there’s renal impairment, what meds do you give?
Oxycodone 1mg sc prn
What does prn mean?
Pro re nata
means no set time to be given - can be given when needed
What is the route of pain medication?
Subcut as it’s less painful than IV
What drug might be given to reduce end of life agitation/distress?
Midazolam 2.5mg sc prn
or 5mg or continuous subcutaneous infusion - csci
Name another drug and dose given to reduce end of life agitation?
Levomepromazine
12.mg sc
What is midazolam?
Benzodiazepine
What four drugs are prescribed when you anticipate end of life and the patient wants to go home?
Glycopyrronium 200mg sc prn (resp secretions)
Morphine 2.5mg
Midazolam
Haloperidol (n/v) 0.5mg
What do you give for the n/v?
Haloperidol (n/v) 0.5mg
What do you prescribe anticipatorily to reduce agitation?
Midazolam
