Administration of comfort medication at end of life in neonates: effects of weight.
OBJECTIVE
To examine whether a relationship exists between a neonate's weight and the neonate's receipt of comfort medication between four hours prior to elective ventilator withdrawal and death. It was hypothesized that the greater the neonate's weight, the more likely the neonate was to receive comfort medication at end of life.


METHODS
A retrospective chart review.


METHODS
One hundred seventy-one neonates in a midwestern Level III NICU who died after withdrawal of ventilatory support.


RESULTS
Of the 171 neonates in the sample, 27.5 percent (n = 47) did not receive comfort medication within the designated time frame; neonates who weighed < 800 g were significantly less likely to receive comfort medication than were their heavier cohorts.


CONCLUSIONS
In this sample, smaller neonates were given comfort medication less often while they were dying than were their larger counterparts.
Matthews
Angela Lee
AL
Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
O'Conner-Von
Susan
S
D000698:Analgesia / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001835:Body Weight; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D015146:Midwestern United States; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D009731:Nursing Audit; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D018579:Patient Selection; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D015300:Ventilator Weaning / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing; D028761:Withholding Treatment