The objective of the study was translation and cross-cultural adaptation into Brazilian Portuguese of the instrument Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS-r). The ESAS-r is a revised version of the instrument ESAS that assesses nine symptoms in Palliative Care. This is a methodological study based on a benchmark composed of six steps: translation, synthesis, backtranslation, expert committee...

The introduction of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) into everyday clinical practice has greatly improved the care of patients with chronic kidney disease. ESAs have reduced the need for blood transfusions, improved survival, decreased cardiovascular complications and enhanced patient quality of life. The longer acting ESA, darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp(R)), which can be administered less f...

INTRODUCTION Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are widely used in treating anemia associated with renal failure. They are also now used perioperatively to reduce the use of allogeneic blood transfusions (ABTs) in patients undergoing surgery with anticipated high blood loss. Although they can reduce the risks associated with ABT and improve quality of life, the use of ESAs is still associ...

Anemia is a widely prevalent complication among cancer patients. At the time of diagnosis, 30% to 40% of patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma or Hodgkin lymphoma and up to 70% of patients with multiple myeloma are anemic; rates are higher among persons with myelodysplastic syndromes. Among patients with solid cancers or lymphomas, up to half develop anemia following chemotherapy. For almost 2 dec...

UNLABELLED Palliative care provides a holistic approach to symptom relief using a multidisciplinary team approach to enhance quality of life throughout the entire course of a particular illness. The care team consists of movement disorders neurologist, a palliative care physician, a wound care nurse, a spiritual counselor and a care coordinator. Palliative care concepts were applied to a group ...

Anemia is common in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are mainstays of their treatment and can be life-saving. Allogeneic blood components inherently bear risks of infection and immune reactions. Although these risks are rare in developed countries, recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEpo) and other erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) have been considere...

Anemia is a common complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD), with erythropoietin deficiency being the major contributing factor. The availability of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) has been a seminal advance in the treatment of anemia related to chronic kidney disease. Over the course of the last decade and a half, newer generations of ESAs have become available. The first-generati...

BACKGROUND Systematic symptom reporting by patients and the use of questionnaires such as the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) have potential to improve clinical encounters and patient satisfaction. We review findings from published studies of the ESAS to guide use of the system and to focus research. METHODS A systematic search for articles from 1991 through 2007 found thirty-nine p...

CONTEXT Sleep disturbance (SD) is a significant source of distress for patients with cancer. Studies of patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care to identify symptoms associated with the severity of SD are limited. OBJECTIVES In this study, we sought to identify the symptoms measured by the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) that are associated with SD, as measured by the ...