Long-Term Peritoneal Indwelling Catheters for Malignant Ascites: A Retrospective Case Series of PleurX and Peritoneal Port.

Objectives: To compare outcomes of PleurX and peritoneal port for malignant ascites. Design: Retrospective review of medical records was conducted. Setting/Subjects: Subjects were consecutive patients receiving PleurX or peritoneal port for malignant ascites in a center in Sydney, Australia. Measurements: Demographic data, complication rates, hospitalization rates, and survival were measured. Results: Sixteen cases were analyzed: 6 had peritoneal port (170 catheter days) and 10 had PleurX (477 catheter days). Complication rates were low with both drainage systems. Cellulitis rate was 33% (1.2 events/100 catheter days) for peritoneal port and 10% (0.2 events/100 catheter days) for PleurX. Hospital admission days were 27 days/100 catheter days for peritoneal port and 5.2 days/100 catheter days for PleurX. Conclusions: Both PleurX and peritoneal port seem feasible options in draining malignant ascites. Further research is needed to ascertain whether there are true differences in cellulitis/admission rates. Patient quality of life, experience, and preference should be included in future studies.

Symptom reduction in palliative care from single session mindful breathing: a randomised controlled trial.

CONTEXT: There has been increasing evidence of the role of mindfulness-based interventions in improving various health conditions. However, the evidence for the use of mindfulness in the palliative care setting is still lacking. OBJECTIVES: The objective of our study was to determine the efficacy of a single session of 20 min mindful breathing in alleviating multiple symptoms in palliative care. METHODS: Adult palliative care in patients with at least one symptom scoring ≥5/10 based on the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) were recruited from September 2018 to December 2018. Recruited patients were randomly assigned to either 20 min mindful breathing and standard care or standard care alone. RESULTS: Forty patients were randomly assigned to standard care plus a 20 min mindful breathing session (n=20) or standard care alone (n=20). There was statistically significant reduction of total ESAS score in the mindful breathing group compared with the control group at minute 20 (U=98, n 1 = n 2 = 20, mean rank 1 = 15.4, mean rank 2 = 25.6, median reduction 1 = 6.5, median reduction 2 = 1.5, z=-2.763, r=0.3, p=0.005). CONCLUSION: Our results provided evidence that a single session of 20 min mindful breathing was effective in reducing multiple symptoms rapidly for palliative care patients.