A Distress Protocol for Respiratory Emergencies in Terminally Ill Patients With Lung Cancer or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

A combination of opioid, midazolam, and scopolamine (that we call "distress protocol" [DP]) is used to induce transient sedation when emergencies occur in palliative care. We wished to describe the prescription and administration of DP in terminally ill patients with either lung cancer or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In a retrospective study, 96 of 100 patients with cancer and 85 of 100 patients with COPD had a DP prescribed. Thirty patients with cancer and 29 with COPD received at least 1 DP. All patients receiving a DP for an appropriate indication were sedated within 30 minutes. There was no difference in survival from DP administration among patients who received it and those who did not.