Management of non-pain symptoms in pediatric palliative care

The majority of children dying from a life-limiting condition suffer from distressing symptoms during their last weeks of life. The provision of current state-of-the-art symptom control is paramount for any health care professional working with dying children, but treatment guidelines are sparse. This article reviews the management of integrative and pharmacological therapies for acute seizure control, anorexia, death rattle, dyspnea, nausea and vomiting, and muscle spasm during the end-of-life period of children and teens. Several myths and misconceptions have led to inadequate symptom control in children with a terminal disease. A dying child is often highly symptomatic, and providing professional integrative and pharmacological symptom relief is one of the many precincts of pediatric palliative care. Copyright (C) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.