TY - JOUR
T1 - Olfactory Distraction for Management of Nausea in Palliative Care Patients
AU - Corona, Antonio Gabriel De Leon
AU - Chin, Jessica
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2021.
PY - 2022/3
Y1 - 2022/3
N2 - Nausea is one of the most common and debilitating symptoms Palliative Care patients experience. This can be caused by the life-limiting illness itself, its complications, or its treatments. While there are many options for management, including anti-emetics and motility agents, patients may develop refractory nausea or even intolerance to these treatments. Drug interactions, sedation, extrapyramidal effects, serotonin syndrome, and prolonged QT intervals with risk factors for Torsades de Pointes may all preclude use of these medications. Olfactory distraction using alcohol swabs has supporting literature in the emergency care setting as a means of alleviating nausea in a safe and effective way. We present a case series of 3 patients admitted to a Northwell facility who were referred to the Palliative Care consult service for severe nausea. The patients had nausea of varying etiology and were successfully managed with inhalation of alcohol swabs. This is the first case series that looks into applying this intervention to the Palliative Care population as an easy-to-use, readily-available, and safe method to manage nausea.
AB - Nausea is one of the most common and debilitating symptoms Palliative Care patients experience. This can be caused by the life-limiting illness itself, its complications, or its treatments. While there are many options for management, including anti-emetics and motility agents, patients may develop refractory nausea or even intolerance to these treatments. Drug interactions, sedation, extrapyramidal effects, serotonin syndrome, and prolonged QT intervals with risk factors for Torsades de Pointes may all preclude use of these medications. Olfactory distraction using alcohol swabs has supporting literature in the emergency care setting as a means of alleviating nausea in a safe and effective way. We present a case series of 3 patients admitted to a Northwell facility who were referred to the Palliative Care consult service for severe nausea. The patients had nausea of varying etiology and were successfully managed with inhalation of alcohol swabs. This is the first case series that looks into applying this intervention to the Palliative Care population as an easy-to-use, readily-available, and safe method to manage nausea.
KW - anti-emetics
KW - isopropyl alcohol swabs
KW - nausea
KW - olfactory distraction
KW - vomiting
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85105711031&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85105711031&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/10499091211015957
DO - 10.1177/10499091211015957
M3 - Article
C2 - 33955274
AN - SCOPUS:85105711031
SN - 1049-9091
VL - 39
SP - 388
EP - 393
JO - American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
JF - American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
IS - 3
ER -