Question

A 72-year-old woman with advanced heart failure is thought to be in the last days of life. She is distressed by breathlessness. What is the most appropriate first-line pharmacological treatment for her breathlessness in a palliative context?

Accepted Answer

Low-dose opioid such as oral or subcutaneous Morphine

Answer

High-dose benzodiazepine alone

Answer

High-flow oxygen for all patients regardless of saturation

Answer

Nebulised Salbutamol for all breathless patients

Answer

No treatment as breathlessness is part of dying

Practice question

A 72-year-old woman with advanced heart failure is thought to be in the last days of life. She is distressed by breathlessness. What is the most appropriate first-line pharmacological treatment for her breathlessness in a palliative context?