Palliative extubation in emergency units: a case report

Abstract

Emergency units receive patients of greater severity with acute or worsened chronic conditions, and subject to sequelae or irreversible damages. In these cases, palliative care is prioritized, aiming to provide a better quality of life, with measures that promote physical, emotional, social and spiritual comfort, as essential elements of care for the end of life. One of these forms of comfort is palliative extubation, that is, the removal of the orotracheal tube, which is intended to alleviate suffering and avoid the prolongation of the death process for all those involved. Thus, the purpose of this study was to reflect on these issues from the case report of a patient subject to palliative extubation performed in a reference emergency unit.

Emergencies; Palliative care; Airway extubation