This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Simonds, A. K Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Simonds, A. K Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Living and dying with respiratory failure: facilitating decision making

Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust, Sydney Street, London SW3 6NP, UK

Respiratory failure is a predictable cause of death in end stage lung disease including COPD and neuromuscular disorders, and the symptom burden for these individuals in the last six months of life is significant. Palliative care services are less well-developed for patients with chronic disorders compared to those with malignant disease; and communication problems can be compounded by a mismatch in expectadons between patients and health care providers on prognosis and other issues. Most patients want more information about their illness to facilitate participation in decision making. Noninvasive ventilation may extend life and palliate symptoms in neuromuscular disorders such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and motor neurone disease/ALS.

Key Words: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease • neuromuscular disease • palliative care • respiratory failure

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?