Palliative Emergencies

This chapter highlights four emergencies that occur in palliative care: hemorrhage, spinal cord compression, seizures, and superior vena cava syndrome. It is imperative to understand their etiology, pathophysiology, workup, and management in order to rapidly and expertly respond to these emergencies. Palliative advanced practice registered nurses possess a unique skill set combining holistic care of patients with the ability to manage acute, often potentially devastating symptoms that affect the patient’s goals and wishes. Disease state needs to be considered when making treatment and management decisions during these palliative emergencies. The chapter presents an overview of pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments to prevent and manage these palliative emergencies.