Palliative Med last lecture Flashcards
What is the split (%) between sudden vs slow death?
10% sudden
90% slow
Why are we so valuable at the end of life?
Have experience with death
What makes preparing for the last hours of life difficult? (2)
Time course is unpredictable, and hard to anticipate needs
What should do if the patient wants to die at home?
Regularly review plan of care
What are our responsibilities for preparing for death?
Aware of pts choices
Giving knowledge
Rapid respond
True or false: there is less interesting in communication with the world near the end of life
True
What happens to nutritional intake before death?
Decreases
True or false: pts near death are usually lethargic
False- usually restless
True or false: pts near death are usually lucid
False- altered states of consciousness
True or false: pts are usually quiet and reflective near the end of death
True
True or false: sleeping and waking hours are often messed up near death
True
What happens to breathing near death?
Decreased to apnea for some time
Why does gurling occur near death?
Lung secretions not cleared
True or false: a surge of energy can occur just prior to death
True
What happens to the skin near death?
Dusky’blotchy
What happens to their level of awareness when death is imminent
Little
What happens to the eye near death
Stop blinking so much
What is ICHABOD syndrome (near death symptoms)?
Immobility Confusion Homeostatic failure Anorexia Breathing changes Oral intake decreased Dyspnea
Fever near death is caused by what?
Failure of hypothalamus to regulate temperature well–NOT infx
Why do we care about immobility in the near death pts (besides emboli)?
Joint position fatigue
Decubitus ulcers
ADLs
How can anorexia be protective?
Risk of aspiration
What are the three ways of saying no to food?
Clench teeth
Push away
Say no
What makes food nauseating at the end of life?
Low blood flow to GI tract
How do we help the family deal with pt anorexia?
Find some other way to nurture the pts
What is the difference between body shutting down and starvation? (3)
Absence of hunger
Loss of electrolytes
Decreased GI tract blood flow
Where is the locus of sensation of thirst, taste and hunger?
Hunger = stomach
Thirst and taste = mouth