Doctors appear willing to use intensive measures to lessen otherwise untreatable pain and severe symptoms in dying patients even if the treatment at least in theory, risks hastening the dying process

Doctors appear willing to use intensive measures to lessen otherwise untreatable pain and severe symptoms in dying patients even if the treatment, at least in theory, risks hastening the dying process, according to a pair of studies on end-of-life care from Yale University, New Haven, Conn. Known as "terminal sedation," the practice involves the use of sedating medications to control a patient's symptoms even if it results in decreased or complete loss of consciousness.

In contrast to physician-assisted suicide, terminal sedation may risk, but does not intend, hastening or causing death.

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