Premium
Palliative care: an update on “terminal restlessness”
Author(s) -
Burke Alexandra L
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1997.tb138702.x
Subject(s) - delirium , palliative care , terminal (telecommunication) , myoclonus , terminal care , terminal cancer , medicine , psychiatry , psychomotor agitation , psychology , intensive care medicine , nursing , computer science , telecommunications
Terminal restlessness is a variant of delirium observed in some patients in their last days of life. Readily reversible causes of restlessness should be identified and treated. Benzodiazepines give effective palliation of this condition, and, unlike haloper idol and the phenothiazines, do not exacerbate the existing tendency to myoclonus and convulsions.