Definition:
Palliative sedation is the use of medications to cause sleepiness or unconsciousness when nothing else works to control suffering in a dying patient.
For palliative sedation to be considered as an option there must be:
- consent of the patient or a caregiver placed in charge of making decisions for the patient
- intractable symptoms -- pain, shortness of breath, or agitation that cannot be controlled by any other treatment
- a goal to decrease suffering, but not hasten death
- no chance of survival beyond a few days or weeks at most
Palliative sedation is usually only considered if a patient is actively dying.
Also Known As: terminal sedation,total sedation,controlled sedation
