Role of palliative medicine in pediatric intensive care units

BackgroundImplementing palliative care into pediatric intensive care may at first glance sound contradictory; however, advances in intensive and medical care in general increasingly more often lead to difficult decisions about strategies of care in children with life-limiting diseases, so that the topic becomes more and more relevant. Decisions on when to shift the focus of therapeutic interventions from curative to palliative care are necessary but difficult for doctors in the intensive care unit. The whole multiprofessional team will be confronted with many medical and ethical questions. The reasons for insufficient implementation of palliative care into intensive care medicine are often a lack of facilities and standard procedures and insufficient qualification of the staff in palliative care.ObjectiveWhich structures and methods can be used to implement palliative care treatment into an intensive care unit?Material and methodsThe content of this article is based on areview of the current literature and experiences of the authors.ResultsThe implementation of palliative care medicine into intensive care can improve the treatment of children with life-limiting diseases by a standardized approach, such as obtaining a recommendation on the approach in emergencies, joint discussions with parents and relatives and ethics counseling and increase the contentment of the staff.ConclusionIntensive care and palliative care medicine are not contradictory but mutually complement each other. The implementation of standard palliative care procedures into medical care is necessary in order to optimize the treatment of critically ill children.