Utilización de laxantes en pacientes hospitalizados con cáncer avanzado o terminalAdecuación a las recomendaciones establecidas

Resumen

Objective: To analyze the different laxative regimes being used, as well as their adequacy to the established recommendations in adult patients with either advanced or terminal disease entered in the Medical Oncology floor. Material and Methods: Retrospective study for five months of the patients entered in the Medical Oncology floor. Those patients with either advanced or terminal disease that had received laxatives were selected. The following data were gathered: duration of hospital stay, type of laxative administrated, pattern, days of use and employment or not of opioid drugs. Results: 111 patients were studied. The most used regime was that of only one laxative. In patients with previous constipation, it was used an oral laxative plus a cleaning enema in half of the cases, while the laxative mixture recommended by our Health Area for previously constipated patients was only used in a fourth of those patients. Conclusions: Currently, do not exist adequate studies that compare the use of different laxatives in order to establish the optimal therapeutic regime, although diverse recommendations are published. The prescription of laxatives for the oncologic patients of this study is more adequate to the SECPAL recommendations than to the specific ones of the Health Area to which the hospital belongs