The concept of respite sedation involves sedating a patient for a predetermined
interval, such as 24-48 hours, then downwardly titrating the sedative dose until
consciousness reappears (Rousseau 2001).
With respite sedation, second-guessing and reassessment by clinicians and family
members may be feasible (Rousseau 2001, 2000)
(Quill 1997), but, more importantly,
patients may break a cycle of anxiety and insomnia that precipitated the request
for palliative sedation, abolishing the need for further sedation.
