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This book brings together clinicians, ethicists and lawyers to put the practice of continuous sedation under a critical spotlight.
List of contents
1. Introduction Sigrid Sterckx, Kasper Raus and Freddy Mortier; 2. Continuous sedation until death: state of the art Sophie Bruinsma, Judith Rietjens and Agnes van der Heide; 3. Death by equivocation: a manifold definition of terminal sedation David Albert Jones; 4. Palliative sedation: clinical, pharmacological and practical aspects Josep Porta-Sales; 5. Clinical aspects of palliative sedation Nigel Sykes; 6. Understanding the role of nurses in the management of symptoms and distress in the last days of life Eleanor Wilson and Jane Seymour; 7. Principle and practice for palliative sedation: gaps between the two David Orentlicher; 8. The legal permissibility of continuous deep sedation at the end of life: a comparison of laws and a proposal Evelien Delbeke; 9. The Dutch national guideline on palliative sedation Johan Legemaate; 10. Continuous deep sedation at the end of life: balancing benefits and harms in England, Germany and France Richard Huxtable and Ruth Horn; 11. Can the doctrine of double effect justify continuous deep sedation at the end of life? Kasper Raus, Sigrid Sterckx and Freddy Mortier; 12. Palliative sedation, consciousness and personhood Timothy Holahan, Thomas Carroll, Claudia Gonzalez and Timothy Quill; 13. The ethical evaluation of continuous sedation at the end of life Johannes van Delden; 14. Terminal sedation and euthanasia - the virtue in calling a spade what it is Søren Holm; 15. Terminal sedation: recasting a metaphor as the ars moriendi changes Margaret Battin.
Summary
Continuous sedation is becoming increasingly common in end-of-life care. It raises many concerns, though, especially regarding reducing or removing consciousness, withholding hydration and whether it amounts to 'slow euthanasia'. In this book, ethicists, clinicians and lawyers address these concerns and discuss various justifications and guidelines for the practice.
