Alternative Use of Femoral Compression System in Palliative Care: A Case Report

TL;DR

A femoral compression device was used in a novel way to manage terminal bleeding in a hospice patient with advanced cancer.

Contribution

The paper introduces an unconventional application of a femoral compression device in palliative care for terminal hemorrhage.

Findings

A 77-year-old patient with advanced vulvar cancer had a large nonhealing ulcer causing bleeding.

A femoral compression device was used to manage terminal hemorrhage in a hospice setting.

This approach provided comfort care and addressed distress in palliative care.

Abstract

Terminal hemorrhage, although relatively rare, presents a significant challenge in palliative care, necessitating effective management strategies to alleviate distress in patients and their families. This report presents the case of a 77-year-old woman with advanced vulvar squamous cell carcinoma. The patient had ulcerated groin metastases that had affected the nerve and vasculature of her left leg. Upon clinical examination, she had a large nonhealing ulcer of 11 cm x 2 cm x 4 cm on her upper left thigh that contained slough and was oozing. After a goals of care discussion with the patient and her family, she was admitted to hospice for comfort care measures. This case highlights an unconventional use of a femoral compression device in the palliative care setting, offering a novel approach to managing terminal hemorrhage. Commonly, these devices are used for hemostasis following different procedures, such as vessel cannulation or femoral artery pseudoaneurysm repair.

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