A comparison of drugs and procedures of care in the Italian hospice and hospital settings: the final three days of life for cancer patients

Table 4 Frequency of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures delivered in the final three days of life in hospital and in hospice

		Hospital N = 144		Hospice N = 127		P-value
Procedures
Diagnostic procedures*
ECG		31	21.5	19	15.0	.209*
Arterial blood gases		24	16.7	1	0.8	<.001*
X-ray		20	13.9	-	-	.000
Ultrasound		9	6.3	1	0.8	.022*
CT scan		9	6.3	1	0.8	.022*
Biopsy		2	1.4	-	-	.500*
Number of diagnostic procedures	0	88	61.1	108	85.0
	1-2	47	32.6	18	14.2
	3-5	9	6.3	1	0.8
	5+	-	-	-		.000
Therapeutic procedures**
Oxygen		91	63.2	51	40.2	<.001*
1 *Vesical Catheterisation		79	54.9	76	59.8	.461*
Artificial Hydration (or CVC)		22	15.3	31	24.4	.066*
Bronchial Aspiration		17	11.8	23	18.1	.171*
Transfusion		16	11.1	0	0	<.001*
Enema		15	10.4	10	7.9	.532*
CPR		4	2.8	0	0	.125*
Chemotherapy		4	2.8	0	0	.150
Drainage		3	2.1	3	2.4	1*
Non-Invasive Ventilation		2	1.4	0	0	.500*
Radiotherapy		1	0.7	0	0	1*
Removal of faecal impaction		-	-	2	1.6	.219*
Intubation		-	-	1	0.8	.469*
Number of therapeutic procedures	0	22	15.3	19	15.0
	1-2	84	58.3	82	64.6
	3-5	37	25.7	25	19.7
	5+	1	0.7	1	0.8	.681

*Use of MRI was also assessed, but no positive values were returned from either setting.
**Dialysis, invasive ventilation, tracheotomy and peritoneal catheterisation were also assessed, but no positive values were returned from either setting.
P values marked * are results of Fisher's Exact Test (2-sided).

ISSN: 1472-6963