Abstract
Palliative sedation (sedation to unconsciousness) as an option of last resort for intractable end-of-life distress has been the subject of ongoing discussion and debate as well as policy formulation. A particularly contentious issue has been whether some dying patients experience a form of intractable suffering not marked by physical symptoms that can reasonably be characterized as " existential" in nature and therefore not an acceptable indication for palliative sedation. Such is the position recently taken by the American Medical Association. In this essay we argue that such a stance reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of human suffering, particularly at the end of life, and may deprive some dying patients of an effective means of relieving their intractable terminal distress.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 435-438 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Pain Medicine |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 2010 |
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Keywords
- End-of-Life care
- Ethics
- Palliative treatment
- Sedation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Neurology
- Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
Cite this
Intractable end-of-life suffering and the ethics of palliative sedation. / Cassell, Eric J.; Rich, Ben A.
In: Pain Medicine, Vol. 11, No. 3, 03.2010, p. 435-438.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Intractable end-of-life suffering and the ethics of palliative sedation
AU - Cassell, Eric J.
AU - Rich, Ben A
PY - 2010/3
Y1 - 2010/3
N2 - Palliative sedation (sedation to unconsciousness) as an option of last resort for intractable end-of-life distress has been the subject of ongoing discussion and debate as well as policy formulation. A particularly contentious issue has been whether some dying patients experience a form of intractable suffering not marked by physical symptoms that can reasonably be characterized as " existential" in nature and therefore not an acceptable indication for palliative sedation. Such is the position recently taken by the American Medical Association. In this essay we argue that such a stance reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of human suffering, particularly at the end of life, and may deprive some dying patients of an effective means of relieving their intractable terminal distress.
AB - Palliative sedation (sedation to unconsciousness) as an option of last resort for intractable end-of-life distress has been the subject of ongoing discussion and debate as well as policy formulation. A particularly contentious issue has been whether some dying patients experience a form of intractable suffering not marked by physical symptoms that can reasonably be characterized as " existential" in nature and therefore not an acceptable indication for palliative sedation. Such is the position recently taken by the American Medical Association. In this essay we argue that such a stance reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of human suffering, particularly at the end of life, and may deprive some dying patients of an effective means of relieving their intractable terminal distress.
KW - End-of-Life care
KW - Ethics
KW - Palliative treatment
KW - Sedation
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=77950979704&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2009.00786.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2009.00786.x
M3 - Article
VL - 11
SP - 435
EP - 438
JO - Pain Medicine
JF - Pain Medicine
SN - 1526-2375
IS - 3
ER -