ABSTRACT
Patients receiving palliative care are at high risk for infections as a result of their underlying disease, poor nutritional state, and/or a direct suppression of the hematological system due to chemotherapy or radiation treatments, viral infections, or use of corticosteroids. This chapter discusses the incidence and the type of infections seen in various palliative care clinical settings and the judicious use of antimicrobials in such settings. It suggests that use of symptom control as a major criterion for treatment. Patients who are receiving palliative care or hospice care have a high frequency of infections due to the underlying disease, the use of indwelling urinary catheters and vascular access devices, and the generally poor functional status of the patients characterized by impaired cognition and immobility. The approach to fever in patients receiving palliative care should be similar to that outlined, with symptom control as the primary goal that should be accomplished through a minimum of interventions.
