Palliative Medicine Topic Homepage
Palliative Medicine Overview
Palliative medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with inter-professional approaches to palliative care.1 According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2007), palliative medicine aims to improve the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with "life-threatening illness.2 This can be achieved through preventive measures and early treatment, the correct diagnosis...
... of the disease, early recognition and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual".2
Palliative care is active and ongoing care practiced by an interdisciplinary team in institutions or at home.3 The aim is to relieve pain, alleviate psychological suffering, safeguard the dignity of, and support, the patient.3 The palliative care team will relate to people of all ages with a serious, progressive disease that is life-threatening, advanced or terminal. The care is designed to improve comfort and quality of life while relieving symptoms; it includes physical, psychological, spiritual and social support for the patients and their families.3
In the palliative approach, the patient is at the core, surrounded by a pool of professionals who may be called upon to play a role in this multidisciplinary team. Interdisciplinarity is indispensable in the management in palliative care. Palliative medicine strives to preserve the best possible quality of life until death, and offers support to close relatives in mourning. It works by applying its principles through its clinical practice, its teaching and its research.
1. Shadd J. La médecine palliative est-elle une spécialité? Oui. Canadian Family Physician/Le Médecin de famille canadien. June 2008 ; 54 (6) : 844-846.
2. Schimmel M. et al. Soins palliatifs : aspects relatifs à la médecine dentaire. Rev Mens Suisse Odontostomatol. September 2008 ; 118 : 857-862.
3. LOI no 99-477 du 9 juin 1999 visant à garantir le droit à l'accès aux soins palliatifs (1)Journal Officiel de la République Française ; 10 Juin 1999 : Numéro 132. NOR : MESX9903552L.
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Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease which will affect most of us at one point in time, and it’s prevalence increases with age.
In the early stages in particular, dementia is often difficult to diagnose, since many symptoms are not recognized as such or are trivialized by the patient. 20% of actual dementia cases are reported to be incorrectly diagnosed as a different disease.
In early dementia the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease include memory loss, disorientation and confusion. These symptoms are caused by the loss of neurons and worsen with continuous neurodegeneration. The pathology of dementia is not solely the result of a cholinergic deficit. It is known that, chronically and pathologically elevated glutamate concentrations play an important role.
In general two main groups of dementia can be distinguished, requiring different types of treatment:
Depending on the stage of the disease, clinical symptoms of varying intensity dominate. With the progression of AD, treatment is aimed particularly at improving and stabilizing personal everyday functions, so as to keep patients independent for as long as possible.
Drug News
Takeda acquires vaccine maker Inviragen
10-05-2015Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and Inviragen, Inc. jointly announced that Takeda, its wholly owned subsidiary Takeda America Holdings, Inc., and Inviragen, Inc. have entered into a definitive agreement for Takeda to acquire Inviragen for an upfront payment of $35 million, and future payments of up to $215 million linked to the progress of clinical development and achievement of key...
MASTER trial shows MGuard (InspireMD) offers benefits in treating Coronary Artery Disease
25-05-2013New 6-month results from the MASTER trial demonstrate that the MGuard Embolic Protection Coronary Stent, from InspireMD, outperformed bare metal and drug eluting stents in all-cause mortality in ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients. The MASTER trial achieved its primary endpoint (p value = 0.008), in complete ST-segment resolution at 60-90 min post-procedure (a strong...
FDA approves Tina-quant HbA1cDx assay (Roche) to diagnose Diabetes
25-05-2013The FDA has approved the marketing of the Cobas Integra 800 Tina-quant HbA1cDx assay, from Roche, for the diagnosis of Diabetes. This is the first HbA1c test that the FDA has allowed to be marketed for this use.
The assay, a laboratory-based test, can be used to both accurately diagnose Diabetes and monitor blood glucose control. In support of the marketing request, researchers analyzed...
Palliative Medicine Drug Data - A-Z
Possible searches include drugs or medicines (by brand, generic ingredient or drug class), diseases, conditions and more.
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Recent Drug Updates
Omacor
22-05-2013Post Myocardial Infarction Adjuvant treatment in secondary prevention after myocardial infarction, in addition to other standard therapy (e.g. statins, anti-platelet medicinal products, ...
REYATAZ
20-05-2013REYATAZ is indicated for the treatment of HIV-1 infected adults in combination with other antiretroviral medicinal products. In antiretroviral treatment experienced patients, the demonstration of...
Aprovel Film-Coated Tablets (sanofi-aventis Bristol-Myers Squibb SNC)
14-05-2013Aprovel is indicated in adults for the treatment of essential hypertension. It is also indicated for the treatment of renal disease in adult patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus...
Clinical Guidelines
Control of pain in adults with cancer
Nov 2008This guideline provides recommendations based on current evidence for best practice in the..
... management of pain in adult patients who have cancer. The guideline includes advice mainly concerning pain secondary to the cancer, but many of the principles outlined are applicable to coexisting painful conditions and pain secondary to treatment of the cancer. It excludes the treatment of pain in children under the age of 12.
Medical Videos
Medical Journal Abstracts
The Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacogenetics of the Antiemetic Cyclizine in Palliative Care Patients
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
Jan 2012
Context: Cyclizine, an antihistaminic antiemetic, is commonly used in palliative care. Its pharmacokinetics have been poorly studied, and its metabolic pathway is unknown but may involve the genetically controlled cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6). If this is the case, the metabolic ratio of cyclizine to norcyclizine and..
Decision-making in the end-of-life phase of high-grade glioma patients
European Journal of Cancer
Dec 2011
Background: During the disease course of high-grade glioma (HGG) patients, the goal of therapy eventually shifts from primarily life-prolongation to primarily sustaining the quality of life as good as possible. End-of-life care is aimed at prolongation of life with good quality, but inevitably also may require medical..
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