Observational studyBMJ supportive & palliative care2021
Hydration and symptoms in the last days of life.
Observational study in BMJ supportive & palliative care, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 46 citations in OpenAlex.
- Medically assisted hydration for adults receiving palliative care.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- MASCC multidisciplinary evidence-based recommendations for the management of malignant bowel obstruction in advanced cancer.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2022Pooled it
- Care of the adult cancer patient at the end of life: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines.ESMO open · 2021Guideline
- What is the impact of clinically assisted hydration in the last days of life? A systematic literature review and narrative synthesis.BMJ supportive & palliative care · 2021Pooled it
- Risk Factors for Delirium in the Palliative Care Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Clinical features of audible upper airway secretions ("death rattle") in patients with cancer in the last days of life.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and preliminary psychometric evaluation of the Victoria Respiratory Congestion Scale into Spanish.BMC palliative care · 2026Article
- Unaddressed potential in the supportive care in cancer guidelines regarding clinically assisted hydration.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2024Article
- Resources to Support Decision-Making Regarding End-of-Life Nutrition Care in Long-Term Care: A Scoping Review.Nutrients · 2024Article
- The responsibility to quench thirst by providing drinks when a relative is dying spouses' experience in specialist palliative home care.BMC palliative care · 2023Article
- Ethical challenges around thirst in end-of-life care -experiences of palliative care physicians.BMC medical ethics · 2023Article
- Thirst or dry mouth in dying patients?-A qualitative study of palliative care physicians' experiences.PloS one · 2023Article
- Medical communication and decision-making about assisted hydration in the last days of life: A qualitative study of doctors experienced with end of life care.Palliative medicine · 2022Article
- Inoperable Bowel Obstruction in Ovarian Cancer: Prevalence, Impact and Management Challenges.International journal of women's health · 2022Review
- When they stop drinking-examining end-of-life hydration practices and death rattle occurrence.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2021Observational
- Understanding relatives' experience of death rattle.BMC psychology · 2020Article
- A Review of Clinical Signs and Symptoms of Imminent End-of-Life in Individuals With Advanced Illness.Gerontology & geriatric medicineReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesAt the end of life oral fluid intake is often reduced. Consensus about the most appropriate management for terminally ill patients with limited oral fluid intake is lacking. The objective of this study is to investigate to what extent the amount of fluid intake, preceding and during the dying phase, is related to the occurrence of death rattle and terminal restlessness.
methodsA multicentre prospective observational study was performed. Data on the occurrence of death rattle and terminal restlessness, fluid intake and opioid use of patients expected to die within a few days or hours were collected.
results371 patients were included. Death rattle was reported at least once in 40% (n=149) of patients during the dying phase. Death rattle occurrence was not associated with the amount of fluid intake during the days before dying. Terminal restlessness was reported in 26% of patients (n=96). Terminal restlessness was not associated with a lower amount of fluid intake during the days before dying. Terminal restlessness during the last 24 hours of life was associated with a higher amount of fluid (ie, >250 mL/day) during 48-25 hours before death.
conclusionsCaution with fluid intake to prevent development of death rattle does not seem to be necessary. Our study suggests that a higher amount of fluid intake during 48-25 hours before death may be associated with the occurrence of terminal restlessness during the last 24 hours of life. These results suggest that actively providing dying patients with artificial fluid may not be beneficial.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.