[Is invasive therapy (medically/ethically) justifiable nearing an end of life situation, if it is based on symptom control and quality of life?]

Abstract

On the basis of a case study, the complex problems of an invasive therapy (gastroscopy with stentig) in an end of life situation will be demonstrated and discussed. The main problems of the 67-year-old patient with a gastric cardia carcinoma were the symptoms of nausea and vomiting, which were managed well with conservative treatment. The wish from the patient to eat was a highly ethical demand on the team of the palliative care unit. This paper shows the area of tension between the highly developed interventional endoscopic capabilities on the one hand and the reasonable treatment in end of life situations on the other.