Material und Methode: In einer retrospektiven Analyse wurden die Daten von 53 konsekutiven Patienten, 31 Männer und 22 Frauen, mit klinisch oder röntgenologisch präsenten metastatischen epiduralen Spinalkanalkompression ausgewertet. Das mediane Alter war 60 Jahre. Als Primärtumor waren Bronchialkarzinome (13 Patienten), Mammakarzinome (10) und Prostatakarzinome (10) am häufigsten zu finden. Ergebnisse: Die Therapieergebnisse hinsichtlich der Schmerzlinderung waren mit der Literatur vergleichbar (Ansprechrate= 66%). Als wichtigster prognostischer Faktor hinsichtlich der Gehfähigkeit hat sich der prätherapeutische Status erwiesen. Patienten, die Anfang der Therapie gehfähig waren, blieben in 94% der Fälle auch gehfähig, während nur ein Patient seine Gehfähigkeit bis Ende der Therapie wiedergewann (p< 0,001). Im Chi-Quadrat Test war auch der diagnosestellende Arzt prognostisch relevant: Patienten, deren Diagnose durch einen onkologisch tätigen Arzt gestellt wurde, hatten eine höhere Chance gehfähig zu bleiben (p=0,04). Das Gesamtüberleben (8 Monate median, Range 1-27 Monate ) entsprach den Literaturangaben. Nicht ambulante Patienten und Patienten mit Bronchialkarzinom hatten eine signifikant schlechtere Prognose (p / Materials and Methods: therapy charts of 53 consecutive patients, 31 male and 22 female, with metastatic epidural spinal cord compression treated with radiation therapy only have been analyzed. Median age was 60 ys. The most frequent primary tumours were bronchogenic carcinoma (13 patients), breast cancer (10 patients) and prostate cancer (10 patients),respectively.Results: MRI was the most sensitive diagnostic tool in detecting spinal cord compression. Plain X-ray films were not useful.Pain symptoms improved in 66% of the patients. The most important prognostic factor was the pretreatment mobility status. 94% of the ambulatory patients kept their walking ability but only one plegic patient could walk again after radiation therapy. (p=0.001) Patients whose back pain was presented to an oncologist were more likely to keep walking ability by the end of the therapy. (p=0.04) Patients with bronchogenic cancer and plegic patients had a significant worse survival. Conclusion: Patients with a known malignant tumor and progressive or axial back pain should undergo MRI scan to rule out spinal cord compression. For patients without severe neuorologic deficit and MRI proven epidural compression radiation therapy is able to preserve walking ability and reduce pain. General practitioners and patients should be informed about the symptoms and the therapeutic and diagnostic possibilities of spinal cord dompression.

<p>Palliativ vård innebär ett förhållningssätt där patientens livskvalitet står i centrum. Vården kännetecknas av en holistisk människosyn där patientens fysiska, psykiska, sociala samt existentiella behov ska tillgodoses. Från sjuksköterskans perspektiv kan palliativ vård bedrivas inom såväl primärvård som slutenvård och omfattningen av det palliativa vårdandet varierar beroende på inom vilket område sjuksköterskan är verksam. Oavsett kontext har sjuksköterskan en relations­skapande funktion och relationen har stor betydelse för patientens välbefinnande. Professionell hållning inom palliativ vård innebär att sjuksköterskan medvetet tillämpar ett empatiskt förhållningssätt. Syftet var att beskriva sjuksköterskans upplevelse av att förhålla sig professionellt i relationen till patienten inom palliativ vård. Studien genomfördes i form av en vetenskaplig litteraturöversikt med systematisk insamling och granskning av data. Totalt inkluderades elva kvalitativa, vetenskapliga artiklar. Databearbetning resulterade i tre kategorier: ”Den unika relationen”, ”Sjuksköterskans utmaning” samt ”Professionell distansering”. Sjuksköterskor upplevde att relationen inom palliativ vård präglades av närhet och känslomässigt engagemang. Den nära relationen ansågs positiv samtidigt som den innebar en risk för emotionell överbelastning. Nödvändigt var att upprätta en professionell distans för att kunna särskilja yrkesliv och privatliv. Sjuksköterskor identifierade i det en utmaning att balansera mellan närhet och distans och att kunna vara personlig utan att bli privat.</p> / <p>Palliative care is an approach which has the main emphasis on the patient’s quality of life. It is characterized by a holistic view towards the patient’s physical, psychological, social and existential need. The nurse can work with palliative care in many different contexts, and to various degrees. Nonetheless, the nurse who conducts palliative care will always have a relation building function, and the relation between the nurse and the patient will have large impact of the patient’s perceived well-being. A nurse’s professional approach to palliative care is generally thought of as her taking on a compassionate role against her patients. The purpose of this paper was to describe the nurse’s experience of establishing and keeping a professional approach to her patients in palliative care. The study was conducted as a scientific literature review with a systematic gathering and scrutinizing of data. In total, eleven qualitative scientific articles were included in the review. Three main conclusions could be drawn. First, the nurses experienced that the relations within palliative care were characterized by closeness and emotional engagement. The close relationship between the nurse and her patients was regarded as being positive, although it constituted a risk of emotional overload. Second, it was found to be necessary for the nurse to maintain a professional distance to the patient to be able to separate work from private life. Third, many nurses identified a challenge of striking an appropriate balance between closeness and distance in order to be able to be personal without being private.</p>

<p>Den palliativa vårdens mål är att uppnå en god och fridfull död. En god död har dock visat sig vara en individuell och varierande upplevelse varför patienten själv måste få möjlighet att uttala sig om sin förestående död. Forskning har framhållit att det finns olika uppfattningar om vad en god död innebär, utifrån patientens, närståendes och vårdpersonalens perspektiv. Syftet med litteraturstudien var därför att belysa kunskap om uppfattningar om en god död, för att kunna förbättra omvårdnaden i en palliativ kontext. Föreliggande litteraturstudie baseras på 15 vetenskapliga artiklar. Resultatet visade att det finns gemensamma uppfattningar om en god död, men även olikheter som är betydelsefulla ur ett omvårdnadsperspektiv. En god död kan sammanfattas som symptomkontroll, självbestämmande, sociala relationer, självbild, syntes och samtycke. Främst var det samtal kring den existentiella dimensionen som saknades av patienterna, och de närstående önskade mer information om döendeprocessen för att kunna förbereda sig inför sin närståendes död. Palliativ vårdfilosofi syftar till att ge patienterna en helhetsvård där befrämjande av livskvalitet står i fokus, trots att döden är nära förestående. Helhetsvård var också den inriktning som framkom som den viktigaste uppfattningen om en god död ur vårdpersonalens synvinkel. En god död inom en palliativ kontext är ett forskningsområde som behöver undersökas mer, framförallt gällande de olika uppfattningar som framkommit om en god död ur olika perspektiv.</p> / <p>The palliative care aims to achieve a good and peaceful death. A good death has proven to be an unique and varied experience why the patient should have an opportunity to comment on his impending death. Research has pointed out that there are different perceptions of what a good death means, from the patients’, relatives’ and nursing staff perspectives. The purpose of this study was therefore to elucidate knowledge about perceptions of a good death, in order to improve nursing care in a palliative context. This literature review is based on 15 scientific articles. The results showed that there are common perceptions of a good death, but also differences that are important from a nursing perspective. A good death can be summarized as symptom control, autonomy, social relationships, self image, synthesis and consent. Foremost it was conversation about the existential dimension, which was missing from the patients’ perspective. From the relatives’ perspective it was more desirable with information about the dying process in order to prepare for their relatives’ death. Palliative care philosophy aims to give the patients a holistic approach, where the promotion of quality of life is the focus, despite the fact that death is imminent. Holistic care was also the approach which emerged as the main idea of a good death from the nursing staff perspective. A good death in a palliative context is a research area that needs to be investigated further, especially concerning to the different views obtained about a good death from different perspectives.</p>

Obesity is a major health problem in the Western world. Mean birth weight has increased during the last 25 years. One explanation is that the proportion of large for gestational age (LGA) infants has increased. Such infants risk developing obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes later in life. Despite the risk of neonatal hypoglycemia, their postnatal metabolic adaptation has not been investigated. Our data, obtained with stable isotope labeled compounds, demonstrate that newborn LGA infants have increased lipolysis and decreased insulin sensitivity. After administration of glucagon, the plasma levels of glucose and the rate of glucose production increased. The simultaneous increase in insulin correlated with the decrease in lipolysis, indicating an antilipolytic effect of insulin in these infants. We also demonstrated an intergenerational effect of being born LGA, since women born LGA, were at higher risk of giving birth to LGA infants than women not born LGA. Further, the LGA infants formed three subgroups: born long only, born heavy only, and born both long and heavy. Infants born LGA of women with high birth weight or adult obesity were at higher risk of being LGA concerning weight alone, predisposing to overweight and obesity at childbearing age. In addition we found that pregnant women with gestational diabetes were at increased risk of giving birth to infants that were heavy alone. This could explain the risk of both perinatal complications and later metabolic disease in infants of this group of women. To identify determinants of fetal growth, 20 pregnant women with a wide range of fetal weights were investigated at 36 weeks of gestation. Maternal fat mass was strongly associated with insulin resistance. Insulin resistance was related to glucose production, which correlated positively with fetal size. The variation in resting energy expenditure, which was closely related to fetal weight, was largely explained by BMI, insulin resistance, and glucose production. Lipolysis was not rate limiting for fetal growth in this group of women. Consequently, high maternal glucose production due to a high fat mass may result in excessive fetal growth.

Den palliativa vårdens mål är att uppnå en god och fridfull död. En god död har dock visat sig vara en individuell och varierande upplevelse varför patienten själv måste få möjlighet att uttala sig om sin förestående död. Forskning har framhållit att det finns olika uppfattningar om vad en god död innebär, utifrån patientens, närståendes och vårdpersonalens perspektiv. Syftet med litteraturstudien var därför att belysa kunskap om uppfattningar om en god död, för att kunna förbättra omvårdnaden i en palliativ kontext. Föreliggande litteraturstudie baseras på 15 vetenskapliga artiklar. Resultatet visade att det finns gemensamma uppfattningar om en god död, men även olikheter som är betydelsefulla ur ett omvårdnadsperspektiv. En god död kan sammanfattas som symptomkontroll, självbestämmande, sociala relationer, självbild, syntes och samtycke. Främst var det samtal kring den existentiella dimensionen som saknades av patienterna, och de närstående önskade mer information om döendeprocessen för att kunna förbereda sig inför sin närståendes död. Palliativ vårdfilosofi syftar till att ge patienterna en helhetsvård där befrämjande av livskvalitet står i fokus, trots att döden är nära förestående. Helhetsvård var också den inriktning som framkom som den viktigaste uppfattningen om en god död ur vårdpersonalens synvinkel. En god död inom en palliativ kontext är ett forskningsområde som behöver undersökas mer, framförallt gällande de olika uppfattningar som framkommit om en god död ur olika perspektiv. / The palliative care aims to achieve a good and peaceful death. A good death has proven to be an unique and varied experience why the patient should have an opportunity to comment on his impending death. Research has pointed out that there are different perceptions of what a good death means, from the patients’, relatives’ and nursing staff perspectives. The purpose of this study was therefore to elucidate knowledge about perceptions of a good death, in order to improve nursing care in a palliative context. This literature review is based on 15 scientific articles. The results showed that there are common perceptions of a good death, but also differences that are important from a nursing perspective. A good death can be summarized as symptom control, autonomy, social relationships, self image, synthesis and consent. Foremost it was conversation about the existential dimension, which was missing from the patients’ perspective. From the relatives’ perspective it was more desirable with information about the dying process in order to prepare for their relatives’ death. Palliative care philosophy aims to give the patients a holistic approach, where the promotion of quality of life is the focus, despite the fact that death is imminent. Holistic care was also the approach which emerged as the main idea of a good death from the nursing staff perspective. A good death in a palliative context is a research area that needs to be investigated further, especially concerning to the different views obtained about a good death from different perspectives.

Palliativ vård innebär ett förhållningssätt där patientens livskvalitet står i centrum. Vården kännetecknas av en holistisk människosyn där patientens fysiska, psykiska, sociala samt existentiella behov ska tillgodoses. Från sjuksköterskans perspektiv kan palliativ vård bedrivas inom såväl primärvård som slutenvård och omfattningen av det palliativa vårdandet varierar beroende på inom vilket område sjuksköterskan är verksam. Oavsett kontext har sjuksköterskan en relations­skapande funktion och relationen har stor betydelse för patientens välbefinnande. Professionell hållning inom palliativ vård innebär att sjuksköterskan medvetet tillämpar ett empatiskt förhållningssätt. Syftet var att beskriva sjuksköterskans upplevelse av att förhålla sig professionellt i relationen till patienten inom palliativ vård. Studien genomfördes i form av en vetenskaplig litteraturöversikt med systematisk insamling och granskning av data. Totalt inkluderades elva kvalitativa, vetenskapliga artiklar. Databearbetning resulterade i tre kategorier: ”Den unika relationen”, ”Sjuksköterskans utmaning” samt ”Professionell distansering”. Sjuksköterskor upplevde att relationen inom palliativ vård präglades av närhet och känslomässigt engagemang. Den nära relationen ansågs positiv samtidigt som den innebar en risk för emotionell överbelastning. Nödvändigt var att upprätta en professionell distans för att kunna särskilja yrkesliv och privatliv. Sjuksköterskor identifierade i det en utmaning att balansera mellan närhet och distans och att kunna vara personlig utan att bli privat. / Palliative care is an approach which has the main emphasis on the patient’s quality of life. It is characterized by a holistic view towards the patient’s physical, psychological, social and existential need. The nurse can work with palliative care in many different contexts, and to various degrees. Nonetheless, the nurse who conducts palliative care will always have a relation building function, and the relation between the nurse and the patient will have large impact of the patient’s perceived well-being. A nurse’s professional approach to palliative care is generally thought of as her taking on a compassionate role against her patients. The purpose of this paper was to describe the nurse’s experience of establishing and keeping a professional approach to her patients in palliative care. The study was conducted as a scientific literature review with a systematic gathering and scrutinizing of data. In total, eleven qualitative scientific articles were included in the review. Three main conclusions could be drawn. First, the nurses experienced that the relations within palliative care were characterized by closeness and emotional engagement. The close relationship between the nurse and her patients was regarded as being positive, although it constituted a risk of emotional overload. Second, it was found to be necessary for the nurse to maintain a professional distance to the patient to be able to separate work from private life. Third, many nurses identified a challenge of striking an appropriate balance between closeness and distance in order to be able to be personal without being private.

Cette thèse d’éthique médicale, située dans une approche interdisciplinaire et tentant de s’affranchir de tout préjugé personnel de la part de l’auteur, tend à apporter un éclairage, aussi objectif que possible, sur une question, jusqu’à présent, inexplorée : la communication sur la sédation continue, maintenue jusqu’au décès, dans les unités de soins palliatifs, en France et en Pologne. En premier lieu, une recherche bibliographique a été réalisée et les principales failles des publications existantes ont été mises en exergue dont deux en particulier : le flou terminologique et conceptuel autour de la notion de sédation dans le champ de la médecine palliative, et de la notion de représentation elle-même. Pour que l’objet de recherche soit correctement cerné, deux notions-clés – la notion de sédation continue, maintenue jusqu’au décès et la notion de représentation – ont été d’abord explicitées, puis articulées entre elles. En second lieu, une recherche qualitative fondée sur l’étude de cas multiples a été réalisée sur le terrain, c’est-à-dire dans différentes unités de soins palliatifs, en France et en Pologne. Deux méthodes qualitatives ont été adoptées : l’analyse de dossiers et les entretiens semi-directifs individuels. Ces derniers ont été réalisés auprès des principaux acteurs impliqués dans une situation de communication : les médecins prescripteurs, les infirmières et les proches des malades sédatés. Les malades n’ont pas été interrogés, mais leurs témoignages ont été recueillis via les entretiens avec les professionnels de santé et les proches. Quinze cas complets par pays, soit trente cas en tout, ont été inclus dans l’étude. Les données obtenues ont été analysées à l’aide d’outils linguistiques adaptés. Les résultats ont montré que les représentations de la « sédation continue, maintenue jusqu’au décès », faites par les professionnels de santé, avaient un impact sur la délivrance de l’information. Une certaine influence des contextes nationaux a été observée, dans la plupart des cas. En revanche, les souhaits des malades et de leurs proches, quant au contenu de l’information, étaient les mêmes dans les deux pays. Par ailleurs, ce n’était pas tant l’information stricto sensu qui comptait mais une présence bienveillante. Ce besoin de relation nous a amenés à nous interroger sur une certaine universalité de l’être souffrant, malgré ses particularités, d’où notre proposition d’une éthique de la présence à l’autre. Ne devrait-elle pas être intégrée dans le champ de la médecine palliative ou plutôt dans la médecine toute entière, voire dans nos vies de tous les jours ? / This thesis addresses an issue of medical ethics which has previously been investigated, that of communication concerning continuous sedation until death as practised in palliative care units in France and Poland. Using an interdisciplinary approach, free of any personal preconceptions by the author, it aims to provide an objective insight into the issue. A literature review is performed initially which highlights the main flaws in the existing publications of which there are two in particular: terminological and conceptual confusion around the idea of sedation in palliative medicine and its conceptual representation. In order to properly frame the object of research, two key concepts: continuous sedation until death and representation are first clarified and then linked together. Subsequently, a qualitative multiple-case field study is performed in a number of different palliative care units in France and Poland. Two qualitative methods are used: case analyses and individual semi-structured interviews with the main parties involved in the communication process - prescribing clinicians, nurses and the families and friends of sedated patients. Patients were not directly interviewed but their experiences were accounted for via the interviews with the carers and family members. Thirty completed case, fifteen per country, are included in the study. The data obtained are analysed using the appropriate linguistic tools. The results show that carers' representations of “continuous sedation until death” influence the delivery of information to patients. The national contexts are seen to exert a certain influence in most cases. However, with regard to the content of information, the wishes of patients and family members are the same in both countries. Moreover, it is less the information itself that counts as much as the caring way it is delivered. The emergence from this study of a needful wish to be cared for leads us to question whether, despite individual differences, there is not a universal dimension to the suffering being. This in turn prompts our suggestion of an ethical scope to the presence of the other. Should this not be at the root of palliative medicine and moreover throughout the entire field of medicine? And if that's the case, why not in our everyday lives ?

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Abstract Euthanasia from the points of view of theology and ethics Key words: euthanasia, suffering, death, dying, dignity, human rights, doctor, patient, palliative medicine, hospice care, assisted suicide, religious motivation, followers, objectors of euthanasia In my thesis I am covering the topic of ?qeuthanasia??. The main objective of this paper is to introduce the reader to the problem of euthanasia from the points of view of theology and ethics. This thesis consists of theoretical and practical parts. The theoretical part further consists of eleven chapters. In the first chapter, the types of euthanasia ares discussed (active, passive, prenatal, and assisted suicide). In the second chapter, the history of euthanasia is discussed in a great detail. The third chapter mainly concentrates on euthanasia in the world. The fourth chapter is about the criteria of death. In the fifth chapter, I address the questions of euthanasia and death in recent years. The sixth chapter is about the relationship between a doctor and a patient. The seventh chapter covers palliative medicine and the eighth chapter further expands on this subject with the topic of hospice care. In the ninth chapter, I pursue the point of religious motivational impact. The tenth and eleventh chapters are dedicated to the followers and objectors of euthanasia. The practical part concentrates on exploratory research. I have chosen sociological research using the methods of discussion. Here are three interviews with experts, who interact with dying individuals on a daily basis. These questioned specialists are believers and therefore the discourses are anonymous. The objective of these discussions was to uncover how professional in different facilities view the issues of euthanasia. This objective was sucessfully achieved.