Morita Tatsuya, Tei You, Shishido Hideki, Inoue Satoshi
Seirei Hospice, Seirei Mikatabara Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan.
Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2003 Sep-Oct;20(5):389-91. doi: 10.1177/104990910302000513.
This paper illustrates the importance of accurate diagnoses and treatments of complications in terminally ill cancer patients. The paper reports on five hospice in-patients who completely recovered from life-threatening complications; three of them had been incorrectly labeled as "imminently dying" by the referring physicians. The paper concludes that it would be beneficial for patients to receive examinations and a trial of medical treatment in their continuing treatment settings.