Publications by authors named "Jose A Ferraz Goncalves"
Objective: A recently published study concerning variables associated with survival longer than one year in palliative care included several types of cancer. A secondary analysis limited to patients with colorectal cancer was performed to analyze a more homogeneous group of patients.
Methods: Patients were identified through electronic records from 2012 to December 2018.
Background: Studies on agitation in internal medicine departments are scarce, especially regarding how doctors and nurses act in these situations. The objective of this study was to clarify how agitation is dealt with in these departments.
Methods: This prospective observational study was performed in the internal medicine departments of four Portuguese hospitals.
This study aimed to survey the practice of palliative sedation in Portugal, where data on this subject were lacking. This was a prospective multicentric study that included all patients admitted to each team that agreed to participate. Patients were followed until death, discharge, or after 3 months of follow-up.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: An increasing aggressiveness in cancer treatment at the end of life (EoL) has been reported in several, but not all, countries. This study aimed to see how aggressive cancer treatment is at the EoL in an oncology center.
Methods: Retrospective study of patients 18 years or older with a solid cancer diagnosis who died in 2017.
Article Synopsis
- - The study focused on identifying factors that contribute to prolonged survival in cancer patients admitted to palliative care, specifically those living over one year after admission.
- - Researchers conducted a retrospective case-control study using electronic records from 2012 to 2018, comparing data from patients who survived over a year to those who survived 6 months or less, identifying 1721 total patients.
- - Key findings indicated that higher hemoglobin levels and specific creatinine levels positively correlated with longer survival, while conditions like abnormal cognition and liver metastases were linked to shorter lifespans; further research is needed to confirm these results.
Introduction: Gastrostomies can be performed percutaneously by interventional radiology (PRG) or endoscopy (PEG).
Methods: Retrospective analysis of patients with advanced cancer who underwent a gastrostomy in 2017 in an oncology center.
Results: In 2017, 164 patients underwent gastrostomies, and 137 (84%) were male.
Alfentanil is used for chronic pain relief in palliative care. However, there is a dearth of data on its use. For this reason, a decision was made to review the use of alfentanil in palliative care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComplications of Biliary Drainage in Patients with Malignant Biliary Obstruction.
J Gastrointest Cancer
September 2021
Purpose: Biliary tract obstruction in cancer patients is usually associated with a poor prognosis. The obstruction may cause distressing symptoms, such as pruritus. As this situation occurs mostly in advanced cancer, the primary objective of the treatment is in many cases symptom control and not prolonging life.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Calcium has several physiological functions and when it registers abnormal serum levels those functions may be impacted with potentially severe consequences. There is much research on hypercalcemia in cancer patients, but there are no recent studies on the prevalence of hypocalcemia in those patients. However, there has been an evolution in oncology, namely, new drugs that may directly or indirectly result in hypocalcemia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Assessment of treatment of cancer patients with bowel obstruction, identification of prognostic factors, and assessment of reference to palliative care.
Methods: Records of patients with a diagnosis of bowel obstruction over a 6-month (January-June 2013) period were reviewed.
Results: Seventy-five patients were diagnosed with bowel obstruction.
Highlights: Breaking bad news is still deemed a difficult task by family physicians.Family physicians feel they need training in breaking bad news.The family physicians' attitude to this issue is different from what they would wish if they themselves had a life-threatening disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHighlights: The attitudes of family physicians regarding breaking bad news are heterogeneous.Younger doctors seem to see the delivery of bad news more positively.This trend suggests that there will be a more open communication in the future.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Many assessment tools have been developed for palliative care and there are a number of differences between them. Therefore, we felt that there was room for improvement.
Methods: In a previous study, the relevant items were selected by a Delphi process with international experts in palliative care.
Article Synopsis
- Agitation is a serious issue that requires quick and safe management, prompting a study comparing two treatment protocols: haloperidol with midazolam versus haloperidol alone.
- Results showed that the combination treatment was significantly more effective, controlling 84% of agitation episodes with just the first dose compared to 64% with haloperidol alone (P = .002).
- The combination also led to faster relief of agitation (median 15 minutes) compared to haloperidol alone (median 60 minutes), with minimal side effects reported.
Objective: When cognitive impairment precludes patients' report of symptoms, it becomes necessary to use other means. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the validity of the method currently in use on our service.
Method: Two members of the team simultaneously assessed the patient and independently recorded whether the patient showed signs of discomfort, and a third questioned patients with cognitive failure who maintained some ability to respond if something was bothering them.