title: Clinical factors influencing death rattle breathing in palliative care cancer patients : Non-interventional study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In the last days of life the clinical symptom of death rattle breathing is manifested in many awake or semiconscious patients in palliative care. Scientific studies on relevant influencing factors on the characteristics of the clinical symptom of death rattle breathing in patients in palliative care are rare.
  
  
  METHODS
  The design of the study is based on a non-interventional prospective study with questionnaire evaluation and was implemented at the palliative care unit at the Center for Interdisciplinary Pain Therapy, Oncology and Palliative Care at the Clinical Center Klagenfurt, Austria. The questionnaire was developed by the authors of this study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study had a predefined duration of 10 months (from February to November 2012) and during this period a total of 273 patients were admitted to the palliative care unit of the Clinical Center in Klagenfurt. Of these 105 (38.5 %) died and could therefore be included in the evaluation but 3 patients in palliative care (2.9 %) did not fulfil the inclusion criteria of a malignant disease. In total 102 patients, 43 females (42.2 %) and 59 males (57.9 %) were evaluated. The average age was 69 years with a range of 41-92 years. The largest proportion of the random sample (62.8 %) was in the patient age group from 61 to 80 years old and death rattle breathing could be observed in 26 patients (25.3 %) of the total sample. In a specific subgroup analysis regarding the intensity of the symptom, many of the affected patients suffered noisy breathing or severe death rattle breathing. In these cases it was primarily women in the group of patients with death rattle breathing. Gender was found to be a statistically relevant influencing factor (p = 0.034) on the intensity of the symptom.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The great majority of the variables studied showed no influence on the development of the symptom of death rattle breathing; however, more intensive forms were manifested in female patients. The small study population could be a limitation of the present study although the prospective design allows valid conclusions to be drawn. In the future studies should be implemented in order to improve treatment of patients suffering from death rattle breathing.
authors.affiliation: Center for Interdisciplinary Pain Therapy, Oncology and Palliative Care, Klinikum Klagenfurt, Feschnigstrasse 11, 9020, Klagenfurt, Austria. Rudolf.likar@kabeg.at.
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Likar
authors.affiliation: Center for Interdisciplinary Pain Therapy, Oncology and Palliative Care, Klinikum Klagenfurt, Feschnigstrasse 11, 9020, Klagenfurt, Austria.
authors.forename: Manuela Christine
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Michenthaler
authors.affiliation: Center for Interdisciplinary Pain Therapy, Oncology and Palliative Care, Klinikum Klagenfurt, Feschnigstrasse 11, 9020, Klagenfurt, Austria.
authors.forename: Romana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Traar
authors.affiliation: Center for Interdisciplinary Pain Therapy, Oncology and Palliative Care, Klinikum Klagenfurt, Feschnigstrasse 11, 9020, Klagenfurt, Austria.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Molnar
authors.affiliation: Center for Interdisciplinary Pain Therapy, Oncology and Palliative Care, Klinikum Klagenfurt, Feschnigstrasse 11, 9020, Klagenfurt, Austria.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Neuwersch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001317:Austria / Q000453:epidemiology; D015984:Causality; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000451:nursing*; D010166:Palliative Care; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000401:mortality* / Q000451:nursing*; D012135:Respiratory Sounds; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D015996:Survival Rate; D063189:Symptom Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Breathing sounds; Cancer; Palliative care; Rhonchi; Terminally ill