Caring for Dying Patients Who Have Air Hunger

Abstract

The three themes provide a framework for a new vision of "doing everything" for a dying person who suffers from air hunger. Care encompasses knowing what to do as well as how to stay present during suffering.

Next of kin?s experience of powerlessness and helplessness in palliative home care

“…Instead, next of kin, lay people, clinicians as well as researchers used the concept as partly overlapping with that of helplessness. Such overlapping use of the concepts was also present in the research literature [10,20,44,73,76,57], and the lack of clear definitions had been pointed out by others [13]. Although theoretical clarifications of the concepts have been suggested [13], they did not seem applicable in communication with lay people and their use of the words in everyday language.…”

When Protocols Are Not Enough

“…This includes the realization that nursing experiences are socially constructed subjective phenomena and that female nurses' experiences within the patriarchal health care culture may be devalued or ignored (Fonow & Cook, 1991). Interpretive phenomenology is an approach that bridges subjective and objective knowing by focusing on individual perceptions of phenomena and uncovering common themes and universals that emerge from the narratives of persons' lived experiences (Tarzian, 2000). Asking persons to reflect or tell stories of their experiences is empowering; it is also effective in revealing the shared practices and common meanings of those experiences (Brewer & Nelms, 2000).…”

Respiratory distress: A model of responses and behaviors to an asphyxial threat for patients who are unable to self-report

“…Fear in response to an asphyxial threat produces a characteristic "look of fear." 48 The universal fearful facial expression is characterized by the following: (1) the upper iris is visible; (2) the teeth are visible; (3) the teeth are not parted; (4) there are lines in the forehead; (5) the eyebrows are flat; (6) the eyebrows are raised, and (7) there are no wrinkles in the nose (Fig 3). 49 Fear in response to asphyxia is also postulated to produce grunting at end-expiration, 50 restlessness, [51][52][53] or freezing, 54 and fear-specific physiologic support through heightened activation of the autonomic nervous system, adrenal medulla, and ventromedial pons.…”