Figures
- Figure 1.
Number of publications in peer-reviewed journals in the field of end-of-life care in a) adults with all diseases, and b) adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Tables
- Table 1. Factors to consider when discussing end of life in intensive care unit admission of exacerbated end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Difficult/prolonged weaning from mechanical ventilation High in-hospital and 1-yr mortality rate Poor quality of life after leaving the hospital Need for prolonged intensive nursing and physiotherapist assistance Very high frequency of short-term readmission - Table 2. Parameters suggested for evaluation of short-term mortality
Two or more criteria [25] Decision tree [28] FEV1 <30% predicted Age <75 yrs Oxygen dependence Dyspnoea degree One or more hospital admissions in the previous year for an acute exacerbation of COPD FEV1 <50% predicted Left heart failure or other comorbidities Physical activity (time spent walking during leisure time) Weight loss or cachexia Number of exacerbations in the last 2 yrs Decreased functional status Increasing dependence on others Age >70 yrs FEV1: forced expiratory volume in 1 s; COPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Reproduced from [25] and modified from [28] with permission from the publishers.
- Table 3. Tools to be considered for treatment of symptoms in end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a chronic and acute setting
Symptom Chronic setting Acute setting Dyspnoea/breathlessness Pharmacological therapy Physical rehabilitation Oxygen therapy Noninvasive ventilation Pharmacological therapy Oxygen therapy Noninvasive ventilation Opioids Anxiety and depression Physical rehabilitation Pharmacological therapy Pharmacological therapy Sedation
Vol 21 Issue 126
Table of Contents
Palliative care in COPD patients: is it only an end-of-life issue?
