Table 3 Characteristics of the 250 included cases of continuous sedation until death and relation to experienced pressure
Patient characteristics | N* | % within category | presence of experienced pressure | p-value# |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Gender | 245 | 0.35 | ||
- male | 54% | 14% | ||
- female | 46% | 19% | ||
Age | 243 | 0.06 | ||
- 60 years or younger | 28% | 23% | ||
- 61 or older | 72% | 13% | ||
Main diagnosis | 243 | 0.65 | ||
- cancer | 85% | 16% | ||
- other, or unclear answer | 15% | 19% | ||
Patient was competent | 249 | 0.68 | ||
- yes | 76% | 17% | ||
- no | 24% | 15% | ||
Presence of symptoms during decision making | 249 | <0.01 | ||
- physical only | 17% | 2% | ||
- both physical and psychological, or psychological only | 83% | 19% | ||
Main indication for continuous sedation | 247 | <0.01 | ||
- physical only | 64% | 12% | ||
- both physical and psychological, or psychological only | 36% | 26% | ||
Estimated life-expectancy before starting continuous sedation | 245 | <0.01$ | ||
- <1 week | 72% | 13% | ||
−1-2 weeks | 25% | 26% | ||
- >2 weeks | 3% | 38% |