Palliative Sedation via Intraosseous Vascular Access: A Safe and Feasible Way to Obtain a Vascular Access End of Life.

Intraosseous (IO) access is normally reserved for emergencies and critical care conditions when venous cannulation is not possible. Nonetheless, we present a case of IO insertion to a 56-year-old man, tetraplegic for many years due to progressive spinal muscular atrophy and with refractory suffering. The IO access was used for palliative sedation with propofol in a home care setting. The patient died after 11 days of palliative care, of which the last 4 days were with palliative sedation using an IO cannula as a vascular access. No complications were noted from this route of administration. We advocate the use of IO access in the palliative care of terminal ill patients when a venous cannulation is not possible.