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When A Terminally Ill Person Is In The Hospital Are
Question: When a terminally ill person is in the hospital are they so heavily sedated that they don’t fell any pain before they die?
Brief Answer:
Induced medical coma in terminally ill-Not usually.
Detailed Answer:
Hi....
Welcome to "Ask a Doctor" service.
I am Dr Ajeet XXXXXXX
I have gone through your query and here is my opinion.
Usually not.......
Though round the clock analgesics are always administered to control the underlying pain but inducing a medical coma is unethical and usually not practiced.
It is only done to slow down the brain metabolism,whenever there is risk of severe brain damage in the terminally ill patients.
This is done in an attempt to save the brain from further damage and is always done under close and continuous monitoring of the patient in a Neuro ICU.
Patient is intermittently weaned off from the sedation for re evaluation and progress.
Hope that I have answered your query.
Stay healthy and stay blessed.
Regards.
Induced medical coma in terminally ill-Not usually.
Detailed Answer:
Hi....
Welcome to "Ask a Doctor" service.
I am Dr Ajeet XXXXXXX
I have gone through your query and here is my opinion.
Usually not.......
Though round the clock analgesics are always administered to control the underlying pain but inducing a medical coma is unethical and usually not practiced.
It is only done to slow down the brain metabolism,whenever there is risk of severe brain damage in the terminally ill patients.
This is done in an attempt to save the brain from further damage and is always done under close and continuous monitoring of the patient in a Neuro ICU.
Patient is intermittently weaned off from the sedation for re evaluation and progress.
Hope that I have answered your query.
Stay healthy and stay blessed.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Kampana
I read that people fall unconscious a few days before they die and have abnormal breathing patterns. Does everybody suffer from Cheyne-Stokes respiration before they die? And is that person even aware that they are breathing like that? When I went to the dentist and they gave me drugs to go to sleep, I don’t remember being aware of how I was breathing or feel any pain, I just woke up later and was confused but one time when I was sleep I held my breathe and I could feel my chest hurt a little before I woke up gasping for air.
Brief Answer:
Medical coma in terminally ill
Detailed Answer:
Welcome back.
Cheyne–Stokes respiration is an abnormal breathing pattern in which there is a phase of by progressively deep and fast breathing (called hyperventilation) followed by a phase of gradual decrease in breathing amplitude and a temporary stop (called apnea).
The pattern is cyclical and repeats every 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
This type of breathing is usually seen before cardiac and neurological deaths (like stroke,heart failure,brain tumor,head injury etc).
When a terminally ill patient approaches death,he may or may not have Cheyne Stokes breathing.
The degree of awareness of breathing depends on how deep the coma is.
Warm regards.
Medical coma in terminally ill
Detailed Answer:
Welcome back.
Cheyne–Stokes respiration is an abnormal breathing pattern in which there is a phase of by progressively deep and fast breathing (called hyperventilation) followed by a phase of gradual decrease in breathing amplitude and a temporary stop (called apnea).
The pattern is cyclical and repeats every 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
This type of breathing is usually seen before cardiac and neurological deaths (like stroke,heart failure,brain tumor,head injury etc).
When a terminally ill patient approaches death,he may or may not have Cheyne Stokes breathing.
The degree of awareness of breathing depends on how deep the coma is.
Warm regards.
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Nagamani Ng
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