![]() We summarized the baseline demographics using descriptive statistics. Our secondary objective was to determine the association between the changes in vital signs and impending death. 7 The primary objective of our study was to determine the variation in vital signs in the final two weeks of life among cancer patients who died in our acute palliative care units (APCUs). 5, 6 A better understanding of how vital signs change as patients approach the last days of life and the association between vital sign changes and impending death may improve the clinician’s diagnostic accuracy of impending death, thereby facilitating communication with patients and families to plan for the final stages of life. There is a paucity of studies examining how vital signs vary in the last days of life. Abrupt and marked changes in vital signs often signal cardiovascular instability and/or respiratory compromise, which could be related to potentially life-threatening complications. Vital signs are regularly measured and recorded in hospitalized patients, even among those who are imminently dying. 1– 4 In addition to these physiologic changes, vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and temperature also may provide useful information on the patient’s health status. These signs become increasingly common as patients approach death and are highly predictive of a shortened survival. The last days of life are characterized by a multitude of physiologic changes, such as muscle weakness, dysphagia, and altered level of consciousness.
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