Summary
Nebulized furosemide to treat breathlessness in emergency patients with advanced cancer
Quiñones Pérez A, Álvarez Jiménez P, García Sánchez MJ, Ferrer Frías MM
Affiliation of the authors
Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Cuidados Críticos y Urgencias. Equipo de Soporte de Cuidados Paliativos. Unidad de Gestión Clínica del Bloque Quirúrgico. Área de Gestión Sanitaria Sur de Granada. Motril. Granada, Spain.
DOI
Quote
Quiñones Pérez A, Álvarez Jiménez P, García Sánchez MJ, Ferrer Frías MM. Nebulized furosemide to treat breathlessness in emergency patients with advanced cancer. Emergencias. 2011;23:208-10
Summary
Three patients with advanced cancer and acute dyspnea for different reasons were
treated with furosemide spray in a hospital emergency department. A single dose of 40
mg of nebulized furosemide was sprayed and inhaled in a single dose. Breathlessness
improved significantly, bringing the episode under control, in patients with at least 50%
of function according to the Palliative Performance Status (PPS) scale. However,
furosemide did not improve the condition of a patient with end-stage dyspnea. No
adverse effects were observed. Inhaling nebulized furosemide seems to be an effective
treatment for breathlessness in patients with terminal cancer and a 50% PPS function
assessment, although randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm this
hypothesis.