Análise do uso de terapia invasivas em pacientes oncológicos em Cuidados Paliativos internados em dois hospitais públicos gerais de Belo Horizonte

Abstract

Many patients with terminal illness stay for many days in hospitals receiving intensive painful therapies, which, usually, result in a short life extension in spite of worsening life quality. However, the Palliative care team longs to prioritize symptoms control, emphasizing the patient’s and family’s comfort. This study aims to analyze the use of intensive therapies in patients with cancer, with criteria for palliative care, hospitalized in two hospitals in Belo Horizonte. The Methodology: it was selected patients with cancer without a curative therapeutic approach, hospitalized in Hospital das Clínicas and in Alberto Cavalcanti Hospital. The first hospital has an active palliative care team. The second one has a palliative team but only for home care, it does not have one in the hospital. The patients’ selection, for the convenience, was made through visits to hospital wards. The data was collected through the medical records. The variations evaluated were: use of vasoactive amine, days in intensive care units, mechanical ventilation, orotracheal intubation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and number of hospital discharges. Results: the number of hospital discharges was greater in Hospital das Clínicas than Alberto Cavalcanti Hospital (p-value: 0,033). The other parameters analyzed were not statistically significant. Conclusion: the greater number of hospital discharges in the Hospital das Clínicas may be associated with the active palliative care team performance, which contributes to disseminating the culture of emphasis on comfort for this group of patients.