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KMID : 0856920070100020078
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Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
2007 Volume.10 No. 2 p.78 ~ p.84
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Clinical Characteristics of Terminal Lung Cancer Patients Who Died in Hospice Unit
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Kim You-Jin
Moon Do-Ho
Lee Choon-Sub
Lee Ju-Ri
Lee Jung-Ho
Hong Young-Hwa
Lee Tae-Gyu
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Abstract
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Purpose: The prevalence of lung cancer is increasing continuously these days. We studied clinical characters of the terminal lung cancer patients who had died in hospice units and our study is the basic report for efficient hospice and palliative care to the lung cancer patients.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 129 terminal lung cancer patients who had died in Sam Anyang Hospice Unit from March 2003 to December 2006. The survival days during the hospice and palliative care were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier method of SPSS 13.0.
Results: There were 93 males (72%) and 36 females (28%), and median age of patients was 68 years (range 37∼93). Eighty two patients (64%) took analgesics, the others 47 (36%) not. The most prevalent reason for admission was dyspnea (47 patients, 36%) and it was different from the terminally ill cancer patients being hospitalized because of pain. And the most common symptom was general weakness (103 patients, 80%). One hundred twenty of the paitents (93%) were administered opioid analgesics, and IV morphine shots were mostly used (103 patients, 80%). Sedation was used in 87 patients (67%), and midazolam was mostly used (68 patients, 53%). The median survival in hospice and palliative care was 35 days and the median hospitalization was 24 days.
Conclusion: It is very important to manage dyspnea in terminal lung cancer patients. The length of hospice and palliative care for the terminal lung cancer patients is still short. Therefore continuous education and promotion of hospice and palliative care is needed for an effective care for the patients, their families and doctors. (Korean J Hosp Palliat Care 2007;10:78-84)
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KEYWORD
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Terminal lung cancer, Hospice and palliative care
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