Introducing palliative care into cancer treatment

Abstract

LF, a 60-year-old female, presents to the ED with complaints of constipation, lower left abdominal pain, and sharp/ stabbing groin pain rated as an 8/10 on the numeric rating scale for the past 48 hours. The patient also complains of nausea and vomiting (N/V) and has been vomiting brown, undigested liquid for the past 2 days. LF has a medical history of hypertension, a myocardial infarction within the last year, chronic back pain with sciatic pain, and ovarian cancer. The patient's surgical history includes a total abdominal hysterectomy and salpingooophorectomy for the ovarian cancer in 2017. The patient was also treated with chemotherapy for the ovarian cancer following the surgery.LF currently takes the following medications: hydrocodone/acetaminophen 10-325 mg P.O. every 6 hours as needed for pain, lisinopril 10 mg P.O. daily, gabapentin 900 mg P.O. at bedtime, aspirin 81 mg P.O. daily, simvastatin 40 mg P.O. daily at bedtime, and metoprolol tartrate 50 mg P.O. daily. LF's vital signs are a temperature of 97.3° F (36.3° C), pulse rate of 88 beats/ minute, respiratory rate of 19 breaths/ minute, BP of 107/66 mm Hg, and a pulse