Abstract
Dyspnea is a common symptom in several respiratory diseases and is often worse in the terminal stage of the illness. In advanced stages of disease, noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV) can be offered to relieve dyspnea. Palliative care is an important treatment option but is often considered late in the decision making process. NIMV could be considered a form of palliation, given its applicability in relieving the suffering inherent to dyspnea. Obviously, there are a number of ethical issues that need to be considered and the topic remains controversial.
Conditions, such as cancer, traditionally have greater access to palliative care than others, e.g., COPD, due to uncertainty of prognosis. Thus, it is important to recognize the value of palliative care in other chronic diseases. Patient acceptance depends on the level of education, culture, religion, as well as endogenous factors such as anxiety or depression. It is therefore important to recognize opportunities to discuss end-of-life care.
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Abbreviations
- 6MWT:
-
6-minute walking test
- CAT:
-
COPD assessment test
- EOL:
-
End of life
- FEV1:
-
Forced expiratory flow in first second
- FVC:
-
Forced vital capacity
- mMRC:
-
Modified Medical Research Council
- NIMV:
-
Noninvasive mechanical ventilation
- TLC:
-
Total lung capacity
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Pacheco, J., Freitas, S. (2023). The Ethics of Noninvasive Ventilation in Palliative Care. In: Esquinas, A.M. (eds) Noninvasive Mechanical Ventilation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-28963-7_77
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