Table 3 Sedation practices according to medical unit and indication
From: Midazolam sedation in palliative medicine: retrospective study in a French center for cancer control
Characteristics | Medical unit | Indication | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Other unit (N = 37) | PCU (N = 17) | p-value | Immediate risk of death (N = 25) | Refractory Symptom (N = 26) | p-value | |||||
Indication | ||||||||||
Immediate risk of death | 19 | 51.4% | 6 | 35.3% | 0.27 | – | – | – | ||
Refractory symptom | 17 | 45.9% | 9 | 52.9% | ||||||
Existential suffering | 1 | 2.7% | 2 | 11.8% | ||||||
Relief of the patient | ||||||||||
Unrelieved | 7 | 22.6% | 0 | 0.0% | 0.13 | 2 | 9.5% | 5 | 22.7% | 0.48 |
Relieved | 22 | 71.0% | 14 | 93.3% | 18 | 85.7% | 15 | 68.2% | ||
Partially relieved | 2 | 6.5% | 1 | 6.7% | 1 | 4.8% | 2 | 9.1% | ||
Unknown | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 | ||||||
Information of the patient | 11 | 29.7% | 11 | 64.7% | 0.015 | 12 | 48.0% | 7 | 26.9% | 0.12 |
Information of the family | 24 | 64.9% | 15 | 88.2% | 0.11 | 20 | 80.0% | 16 | 61.5% | 0.15 |
Consent of the patient | 8 | 21.6% | 9 | 52.9% | 0.021 | 9 | 36.0% | 5 | 19.2% | 0.18 |
Collegiality | 11 | 29.7% | 9 | 52.9% | 0.10 | 9 | 36.0% | 8 | 30.8% | 0.69 |
On-call duty | 20 | 54.1% | 10 | 58.8% | 0.74 | 15 | 60.0% | 15 | 57.7% | 0.87 |
Second sedation | 7 | 18.9% | 4 | 23.5% | 0.73 | 5 | 20.0% | 5 | 19.2% | 1.00 |
Correspondence | 21 | 56.8% | 16 | 94.1% | 0.006 | 17 | 68.0% | 17 | 65.4% | 0.84 |
Probable sedation | 5 | 13.5% | 1 | 5.9% | 0.65 | 4 | 16.0% | 2 | 7.7% | 0.42 |
Continuous sedation | 36 | 97.3% | 17 | 100.0% | 1.00 | 25 | 100.0% | 25 | 96.2% | 1.00 |
Titration | 12 | 32.4% | 12 | 70.6% | 0.009 | 10 | 40.0% | 12 | 46.2% | 0.66 |
Early prescription | 5 | 13.5% | 10 | 58.8% | 0.001 | 6 | 24.0% | 9 | 34.6% | 0.41 |
Associated opioids | 32 | 86.5% | 17 | 100.0% | 0.17 | 23 | 92.0% | 23 | 88.5% | 1.00 |
Induction dose (mg) | N = 14 | N = 12 | 0.74 | N = 10 | N = 13 | 0.35 | ||||
Median (range) | 3.0 | (0.5–10) | 3.0 | (0.5–10) | 2.5 | (0.5–8) | 3.0 | (0.5–10) | ||
Mean (sd) | 3.8 | (3.3) | 4.0 | (3) | 2.9 | (2.2) | 4.5 | (3.8) | ||
Maintenance dose (mg/h) | N = 37 | N = 17 | 0.20 | N = 25 | N = 26 | 0.22 | ||||
Median (range) | 1 | (0.2–7) | 1.2 | (0.2–5) | 0.6 | (0.2–7) | 1.1 | (0.2–5) | ||
Mean (sd) | 1.3 | (1.4) | 1.8 | (1.5) | 1.2 | (1.5) | 1.7 | (1.5) | ||
Dose at the time of death (mg/h) | N = 36 | N = 17 | 0.86 | N = 24 | N = 26 | 0.27 | ||||
Median (range) | 2.5 | (0.2–20) | 2.0 | (0.4–24) | 3.0 | (0.2–20) | 2.0 | (0.4–10) | ||
Mean (sd) | 3.5 | (3.7) | 4.0 | (5.7) | 3.8 | (4.2) | 2.7 | (2.5) | ||