Introduction. Palliative sedation (PSed) is an intervention aimed at relieving refractory suffering in patients with life-limiting illness. In the emergency department (ED), the increasing number of patients with palliative care needs calls for appropriate end-of-life care interventions. This study aimed to describe the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients who died in the ED after receiving PSed. Methods. This single-centre, observational, descriptive feasibility pilot study with retrospective data collection was conducted in an Italian ED. The analysis included a sample of 30 patients who received PSed during their ED stay and died between January 1 and December 31, 2023. Data analysis was conducted between September and December 2024. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee “Interaziendale AOU Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino”. Results. In 2023, the ED recorded 54,547 visits, with an in-ED mortality rate of 0.49% (n = 270). Among patients who died while receiving PSed, an emergency/urgent triage priority code was assigned in 56.7% of cases (n = 17), and dyspnea was the most frequent symptom (53.3%, n = 16). The median ED length of stay was 33.1 hours (IQR 12.2–73.0). Only one patient (3.3%) received a specialist palliative care consultation. Conclusion. This pilot study demonstrated the feasibility of studying PSed in the ED and provided an initial description of the clinical profiles of patients with palliative care needs. These findings provide a starting point for future multicentre studies in this setting.
A pilot feasibility study of palliative sedation in the emergency department: clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of deceased patients
Bottero, LucaFirst
;Costamagna, Graziella;Ricotti, Andrea;Clari, Marco;Dimonte, Valerio;Albanesi, Beatrice
2026-01-01
Abstract
Introduction. Palliative sedation (PSed) is an intervention aimed at relieving refractory suffering in patients with life-limiting illness. In the emergency department (ED), the increasing number of patients with palliative care needs calls for appropriate end-of-life care interventions. This study aimed to describe the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients who died in the ED after receiving PSed. Methods. This single-centre, observational, descriptive feasibility pilot study with retrospective data collection was conducted in an Italian ED. The analysis included a sample of 30 patients who received PSed during their ED stay and died between January 1 and December 31, 2023. Data analysis was conducted between September and December 2024. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee “Interaziendale AOU Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino”. Results. In 2023, the ED recorded 54,547 visits, with an in-ED mortality rate of 0.49% (n = 270). Among patients who died while receiving PSed, an emergency/urgent triage priority code was assigned in 56.7% of cases (n = 17), and dyspnea was the most frequent symptom (53.3%, n = 16). The median ED length of stay was 33.1 hours (IQR 12.2–73.0). Only one patient (3.3%) received a specialist palliative care consultation. Conclusion. This pilot study demonstrated the feasibility of studying PSed in the ED and provided an initial description of the clinical profiles of patients with palliative care needs. These findings provide a starting point for future multicentre studies in this setting.
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