Difference in opinions about continuous deep sedation among cancer patients, bereaved families, and physicians.

Despite recent advances in palliative medicine, some symptoms are refractory to intensive palliative care, and then palliative sedation therapy is sometimes performed 1, 2. Continuous deep sedation until death (CDS) is regarded as one type of palliative sedation therapy, and it has recently become a focus of intense debate 3-8. While dying in one ’s sleep is regarded as one type of good death in some cultures 9, CDS may be labeled as a continuum of euthanasia, especially when performed for patients with relatively longer predicted survival 3-8, 10.

Source: Journal of Pain and Symptom Management - December 5, 2018 Category: Palliative Care Authors: Tatsuya Morita, Daisuke Kiuchi, Masayuki Ikenaga, Hirofumi Abo, Sayaka Maeda, Maho Aoyama, Takuya Shinjo, Yoshiyuki Kizawa, Satoru Tsuneto, Mitsunori Miyashita Source Type: research