Tipping point: When patients stop eating and drinking in the last phase of their life

TY - JOUR

T1 - Tipping point: When patients stop eating and drinking in the last phase of their life

AU - Blum, David

AU - Jensen, Wiebke

AU - Ullrich, Anneke

AU - Hlawatsch, Cornelia

AU - Bokemeyer, Carsten

AU - Oechsle, Karin

N1 - Copyright © 2020 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PY - 2020/8

Y1 - 2020/8

N2 - BACKGROUND: Eating and drinking are essential also in social life. Nutrition and hydration (N&H) at end of life are often a source of discussion and distress. Stopping eating and drinking is a defining element of the dying phase, however, this time point is not well defined. The aim of this retrospective analysis was to investigate whether such a time point can be detected, whether there are specific characteristics associated.METHODS: The time point when patients stopped oral intake was analyzed in relation to time until death on a specialist palliative care ward (sPCW) of a tertiary comprehensive cancer center. This "tipping point" (TP) was defined as the time point when total food intake fell below 25% of normal solid intake (TP-S) and "tipping point fluid" (TP-F) when fluid intake fell below 500 ml/day (oral/intravenous/subcutaneous). Demographic and medical data, the N&H-module in the electronic patient management system and the daily multiprofessional treatment notes at TP (±3 days) were analyzed in all patients cared on the sPCW between 1/15 and 9/17.RESULTS: In these 32 months, of 1194 treated patients 683 (57%) died on the ward. A TP-S was identified in 291 patients prior to dying on the ward (43%) with a median time of six days from to TP-S death. In 75% of these patients, TP-S occurred within two weeks prior to death (range: 0-5 weeks). A TP-F was detected in 202 patients (30%) with a median TP-F-time of two days prior to death. In 75% of these patients, the TP-F was within three days prior to death (range: 0-14 days). The cancer entities in patients in whom TPs could be detected were heterogeneous. No specific disease-related or sociodemographic characteristics for patients with TPs could be determined. In the daily treatment notes, oral and swallowing problems, taste alterations and discussions about stopping artificial nutrition were mentioned.CONCLUSION: In less than half of dying patients a definitive TP could be detected. In these patients, TP-S occurred within two weeks and TP-F within few days before death. No specific characteristics of patients with TPs could be observed. This indicates the individual nature of the trajectory at end of life.

AB - BACKGROUND: Eating and drinking are essential also in social life. Nutrition and hydration (N&H) at end of life are often a source of discussion and distress. Stopping eating and drinking is a defining element of the dying phase, however, this time point is not well defined. The aim of this retrospective analysis was to investigate whether such a time point can be detected, whether there are specific characteristics associated.METHODS: The time point when patients stopped oral intake was analyzed in relation to time until death on a specialist palliative care ward (sPCW) of a tertiary comprehensive cancer center. This "tipping point" (TP) was defined as the time point when total food intake fell below 25% of normal solid intake (TP-S) and "tipping point fluid" (TP-F) when fluid intake fell below 500 ml/day (oral/intravenous/subcutaneous). Demographic and medical data, the N&H-module in the electronic patient management system and the daily multiprofessional treatment notes at TP (±3 days) were analyzed in all patients cared on the sPCW between 1/15 and 9/17.RESULTS: In these 32 months, of 1194 treated patients 683 (57%) died on the ward. A TP-S was identified in 291 patients prior to dying on the ward (43%) with a median time of six days from to TP-S death. In 75% of these patients, TP-S occurred within two weeks prior to death (range: 0-5 weeks). A TP-F was detected in 202 patients (30%) with a median TP-F-time of two days prior to death. In 75% of these patients, the TP-F was within three days prior to death (range: 0-14 days). The cancer entities in patients in whom TPs could be detected were heterogeneous. No specific disease-related or sociodemographic characteristics for patients with TPs could be determined. In the daily treatment notes, oral and swallowing problems, taste alterations and discussions about stopping artificial nutrition were mentioned.CONCLUSION: In less than half of dying patients a definitive TP could be detected. In these patients, TP-S occurred within two weeks and TP-F within few days before death. No specific characteristics of patients with TPs could be observed. This indicates the individual nature of the trajectory at end of life.

U2 - 10.1016/j.clnesp.2020.04.012

DO - 10.1016/j.clnesp.2020.04.012

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 32690171

VL - 38

SP - 280

EP - 282

JO - CLIN NUTR ESPEN

JF - CLIN NUTR ESPEN

SN - 2405-4577

ER -