Pharmacologic management of nonpain symptoms in surgical patients.
Palliative care patients present with multiple symptoms other than pain and cachexia. Asthenia, delirium, dyspnea, and chronic nausea and constipation cause significant distress to patients and families and frequently coexist in the same patient. A careful assessment frequently identifies reversible causes. When none are identified or there is no improvement, symptomatic pharmacologic interventions are available. The success rate is variable, and it is very high for symptoms such as chronic nausea or constipation and less effective for symptoms such as asthenia and delirium. More research on the mechanism and treatment of these symptoms is needed.
Bruera
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Department of Symptom Control and Palliative Care, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
Beattie-Palmer
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LN
D000465:Algorithms; D001247:Asthenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D003248:Constipation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D003663:Decision Trees; D003693:Delirium / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D013502:General Surgery; D006801:Humans; D009325:Nausea / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000379:methods*