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Case Reports
. 2012 Jul;22(4):307-9.
doi: 10.4103/0971-4065.101263.

Contrasting approaches to end of life and palliative care in end stage kidney disease

A N Koshy  1 , R Mace, L Youl, S Challenor, R Bull, R G Fassett
Affiliations
Case Reports

Contrasting approaches to end of life and palliative care in end stage kidney disease

A N Koshy et al. Indian J Nephrol. 2012 Jul.

Abstract

With increased numbers of the elderly, including nursing home patients, being accepted for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) management, there is heightened interest and focus on end of life decisions, advanced care planning and directives, withdrawal from dialysis and palliative care in this setting. Despite this, care at the individual patient level can vary greatly. Here, we present two contrasting cases to highlight the importance of early and ongoing involvement of palliative care in patients with ESKD. In the first case, a high quality of life was preserved before the patient died with dignity, with early interdisciplinary palliative care involvement. In the second case there was a long protracted period of poor quality of life prior to death. This was associated with resistance to the involvement of palliative care, mainly from the family. Addressing end of life care issues early in the chronic kidney disease (CKD) trajectory and ensuring patients, their families and health care providers are well informed, may contribute to a better outcome for the patient and their family.

Keywords: conservative therapy; kidney failure; morbidity; mortality; palliative care.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

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