Patients nearing the end of their lives may not want disruptive medical interventions. In a medical setting, the preference can be recognized by designating the patient as <u>only comfort measures.</u>
End-of-life comfort measures:
Comfort measures are not deprivation of care
-Continuous infusion of narcotics to treat pain and relieve shortness of breath is the mainstay, as is intermittent medication to relieve anxiety.
What to Expect in the Intensive Care Unit for patients at the end of life:
Care givers discontinue all blood draws and other painful manipulations during comfort measurements. As with dialysis, vasopressors and other cardiovascular medications are discontinued.
In many cases, ICU staff have lifted certain visitation restrictions for those undergoing comfort measures, allowing them to remain in their rooms for as long as their families wish.
The main symptoms of near death are pain, fear and shortness of breath. To prevent such conditions, doctors often prescribe morphine injections. Morphine not only treats pain, but also slows breathing and relieves shortness of breath.
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