Palliative sedation in Sweden: specialised palliative care nationwide survey.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to map the use of palliative sedation (PS) in specialised palliative care (SPC) in Sweden and compare the results with a survey made 20 years ago.

METHODS

A survey to all SPC units in Sweden was performed during the first quarter of 2025 as add-on questions to the Swedish Register of Palliative Care. The definition of PS was continuous sedation in the final stage of life with the aim of lowering the patient's consciousness due to intractable symptoms. Questions included whether the patient had received PS (yes/no), choice of drug and how long the sedation lasted.

RESULTS

Of 2701 deaths in SPC during the study period, 2069 cases had answered the survey (response rate 77%). Of these, 208 had received PS (10%). The majority of patients had received midazolam as the main sedative, n=185 (89%). Other drugs used as main sedatives were levomepromazine, n=14 (7%); propofol, n=5 (2%); and haloperidol, n=2 (1%). The median duration of sedation was 2 days and 4% had sedation longer than 7 days.

CONCLUSIONS

PS is more common in Sweden today than 20 years ago, 10% compared to 1%. The vast majority received midazolam as a sedative.