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BMC Anesthesiology
Published in: BMC Anesthesiology 1/2018

Open Access 01-12-2018 | Review

Palliative care in intensive care units: why, where, what, who, when, how

Authors: Sebastiano Mercadante, Cesare Gregoretti, Andrea Cortegiani

Published in: BMC Anesthesiology | Issue 1/2018

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Abstract

Palliative care is patient and family-centered care that optimizes quality of life by anticipating, preventing, and treating suffering when “curative” therapies are futile. In the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), critically ill patients receive life-sustaining therapies with the goal of restoring or maintaining organ function. Palliative Care in the ICU is a widely discussed topic and it is increasingly applied in clinics. It encompasses symptoms control and end-of-life management, communication with relatives and setting goals of care ensuring dignity in death and decision-making power. However, effective application of Palliative Care in ICU presupposes specific knowledge and training which anesthesiologists and critical care physicians may lack. Moreover, logistic issues such protocols for patients’ selection, application models and triggers for consultation of external experts are still matter of debate.
The aim of this review is to provide the anesthesiologists and intensivists an overview of the aims, current evidence and practical advices about the application of palliative care in ICU.
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Metadata
Title
Palliative care in intensive care units: why, where, what, who, when, how
Authors
Sebastiano Mercadante
Cesare Gregoretti
Andrea Cortegiani
Publication date
01-12-2018
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Anesthesiology / Issue 1/2018
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2253
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12871-018-0574-9

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