Objectives. Palliative sedation (PS) consists of the use of drugs to alleviate the suffering of
patients with refractory symptoms, through a reduction in consciousness.The aim of this study
is to describe the incidence of and indications for PS in patients treated by pediatric palliative
care teams (PPCT), and the relationship between PS, the place of death, and the characteristics
of the care teams.
Methods. Ambispective study with the participation of 14 PPCT working in Spain.
Results. From January to December 2019, a total of 164 patients attended by these PPCT died.
Of these, 83 (50.6%) received PS during their last 24 hours. The most frequent refractory symp toms were terminal suffering (n = 40, 48.2%), dyspnea (n = 9, 10.8%), pain (n = 8, 9.6%),
and convulsive state (n = 7, 8.4%). Sedation in the last 24 hours of life was more likely if the
patient died in hospital, rather than at home (62.9% vs. 33.3%, p < 0.01); if the parents had not
expressed their preference regarding the place of death (69.2% vs. 45.2%, p = 0.009); and if the
PPCT had less than 5 years’ experience (66.7% vs. 45.5%, p = 0.018).
Significance of results. PS is a real possibility in pediatric end-of-life care and relates to care
planning and team expertise.
