CLINICAL PRACTICE. Advanced Dementia.
review · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 26107053.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1056/NEJMcp1412652 and PMC identifier 4539157.
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Abstract
An 89-year-old male nursing home resident with a 10-year history of Alzheimer’s disease presents with a temperature of 38.3°C, a productive cough, and a respiratory rate of 28 breaths per minute. Nurses report that for the past 6 months he has been coughing at breakfast and having trouble swallowing. He has profound memory deficits, no longer recognizes his daughter (who is his health care proxy), is bedbound, is able to mumble a couple of words, and is unable to perform any activities of daily living. The nurse asks whether he should be hospitalized. How should this patient be evaluated and treated?
Medical subject headings
- Alzheimer Disease
- Feeding Methods
- Palliative Care