How is sedation used in palliative care?

Sedation in palliative care is primarily utilized to manage refractory symptoms and enhance comfort for patients facing serious illness. This approach is focused on alleviating severe distress that cannot be adequately controlled by other means. Symptoms such as intractable pain, severe anxiety, or breathlessness may necessitate the use of sedation to improve the patient's quality of life and ensure that they can experience a sense of peace and comfort at the end of life.

In this context, sedation is not about keeping patients in a constant deep sleep or preventing them from expressing their needs, but rather about using medications judiciously to address intolerable symptoms. Effective sedation is tailored to the individual needs of the patient, ensuring that they remain as comfortable and alert as possible while still managing their distressing symptoms.

Additionally, sedation is not limited to surgical procedures; its use extends to various aspects of palliative care, including end-of-life management, where comfort and quality of life are the paramount goals.