Absolute and relative frequencies of symptoms in the case and control groups
| PF* during the last 24 h of life | PF* during the last 7 days† of life | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes (n=120) | No (n=131) | Yes (n=193) | No (n=58) | |||
| N (%) | N (%) | p Value | N (%) | N (%) | p Value | |
| Presence of symptom during last 24 h of life | ||||||
| Respiratory secretions | ||||||
| Yes | 59 (49) | 57 (44) | 0.37 | 97 (50) | 19 (33) | 0.019 |
| No | 61 (51) | 74 (56) | 96 (50) | 39 (67) | ||
| Anxiety | ||||||
| Yes | 46 (38) | 57 (44) | 0.40 | 78 (40) | 25 (43) | 0.71 |
| No | 74 (62) | 74 (56) | 115 (60) | 33 (57) | ||
| Dyspnoea | ||||||
| Yes | 61 (51) | 29 (22) | <0.0001 | 81 (42) | 9 (16) | 0.0002 |
| No | 59 (49) | 102 (78) | 112 (58) | 49 (84) | ||
| Confusion | ||||||
| Yes | 15 (13) | 3 (2) | 0.002 | 17 (9) | 1 (2) | 0.067 |
| No | 105 (87) | 128 (98) | 176 (91) | 57 (98) | ||
| Nausea | ||||||
| Yes | 12 (10) | 5 (4) | 0.052 | 13 (7) | 4 (7) | 0.97 |
| No | 108 (90) | 126 (96) | 180 (93) | 54 (93) | ||
| Presence of symptom during last 7 days of life | ||||||
| Respiratory secretions | – | – | ||||
| Yes | 122 (63) | 29 (50) | 0.072 | |||
| No | 71 (37) | 29 (50) | ||||
| Anxiety | – | – | ||||
| Yes | 118 (61) | 40 (69) | 0.28 | |||
| No | 75 (39) | 18 (31) | ||||
| Dyspnoea | – | – | ||||
| Yes | 135 (70) | 26 (45) | 0.0005 | |||
| No | 58 (30) | 32 (55) | ||||
| Confusion | – | – | ||||
| Yes | 58 (30) | 17 (29) | 0.91 | |||
| No | 135 (70) | 41 (71) | ||||
| Nausea | – | – | ||||
| Yes | 62 (32) | 15 (26) | 0.36 | |||
| No | 131 (68) | 43 (74) | ||||
Note: The case and control groups representing last 24 h of life were compared regarding symptoms during the last 24 h of life. The case and control groups representing last 7 days of life were compared regarding symptoms last 7 days as well as last 24 h of life.
*PF, parenteral fluids, which include clear liquids, nutrition solutions, drug infusions and blood products.
†168 h.