Oxycodone in Palliative Care-Art and Empathy Still Have a Place.

Oxycodone in Palliative Care-Art and Empathy Still Have a Place. J Palliat Care. 2017 Jan;32(1):40-42 Authors: Tormey WP Abstract A 47-year-old woman who was receiving palliative care for metastatic breast cancer, which included oxycodone, was found dead in bed. The femoral blood level of oxycodone at autopsy was 1200 µg/L, which is a value within the lethal range. Could the cause of death be attributed to misadventure or suicide? Would the coroner consider a recommendation of therapeutic drug monitoring in palliative care which could have a serious negative impact on pain relief practice? A narrative verdict was the outcome linking the primary cause of death with the drug cocktail found at autopsy. PMID: 28662625 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Journal of Palliative Care - Category: Palliative Care Tags: J Palliat Care Source Type: research