Life-limiting or life-threatening conditions can be described in four broad groups. These groups are illustrative of the wide range of conditions likely to benefit from a palliative care approach and/or support from children’s palliative care services. These examples are neither exclusive nor fixed; children may move between the groups or be in more than one group at any time. The groups are intended to be a helpful tool to illustrate the range of different conditions which may require palliative care.
Life-threatening conditions for which curative treatment may be feasible but can fail, where access to palliative care services may be necessary when treatment fails, irrespective of the duration of that threat to life. On reaching long-term remission or following successful curative treatment there is no longer a need for palliative care services.
Examples: cancer, organ failures of heart, liver, kidney, transplant and children on long-term ventilation.
Conditions where premature death is inevitable, these may involve long periods of intensive disease-directed treatment aimed at prolonging life and allowing participation in normal activities. Children and young people in this category may be significantly disabled but have long periods of relatively good health.
Examples: cystic fibrosis, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and SMA Type 1.
Progressive conditions without curative treatment options, where treatment is exclusively palliative and may commonly extend over many years.
Examples: Batten disease, mucopolysaccharidoses and other severe metabolic conditions.
Irreversible but non-progressive conditions causing severe disability leading to susceptibility to health complications and likelihood of premature death. Palliative care may be required at any stage and there may be unpredictable and periodic episodes of care.
Examples: severe cerebral palsy, complex disabilities such as following brain or spinal cord injury.
Source:
IKA SYAMSUL HUDA MZ