Advances in Palliative Medicine 2008, tom 7, nr 2

In the present issue of Advances, we are again publishing around burning issues in palliative care. One of them is the non-pharmacological treatment of breathlessness. Why is this so important? Breathlessness, which troubles approximately 40% of the patents admitted to palliative care units, is notoriously difficult to treat. Drugs such as morphine in combination with midazolam, preferentially administered via subcutaneous syringe driver, are effective but frequently confine patients to their bed and not infrequently induce further deterioration...

The importance of drug interactions in palliative care is acquiring more and more practical importance. In the polytherapy used in palliative care, drugs can induce a number of interactions and increase the risk of  unwanted drug reactions....

Despite the development of this form of activity around the world, there are still only two hospital palliative care supportive teams in Poland: in Bydgoszcz and in Warsaw. The study was aimed at demonstrating the need for the formation and development of supportive teams in emergency care hospitals in Poland...

Lymphoedema is an accumulation of protein-rich fluid in the interstitial space. Long-lasting lymphoedema leads to chronic inflammation, fibrosis and tissue damage. Lymphoedema seriously affects a patient's body image, daily activities and mobility. At present, there is no curative treatment: the aim of lymphoedema management is long-term symptom control and an improvement in the health-related quality of life (HRQoL)...

Breathlessness is a one of the most difficult symptoms to manage in palliative care and has primarily been managed by pharmacological measures...

Islam has a profound concept about death and aftermath. Believing in living after death and resurrection is one of the three main principles of Islam. Since the increasing incidence of people in need of palliative care in developing countries and the fact that Muslims, who dominantly live in developing world, are very dependent on spirituality, describing the ways that spiritual care is described and provided in the Islamic context is highly demanded. This paper aims at delineating original research in this subject in a systematic manner...

Patients with a long term tracheotomy (longer than 4 weeks) are quite frequent patients in the Neurorehabilitation Wards. These are especially patients after serious traumatic brain injuries, ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes, ischemic brain injuries and others. A correct multidisciplinary treatment requires a very close cooperation of: physiotherapists, neurologists, laryngologists and speech therapists...

Cancer-related fatigue is observed in most cancer patients in advanced stage of the disease. It  may be caused by both, the disease and treatment — chemotherapy and radiotherapy. During and after palliative radiotherapy treatment, whose objective is to improve patient's quality of life, increase of fatigue might occur...