Pain and symptom control in terminally ill children

Pain and equally distressing symptoms such as agitation, nausea, and dyspne a are grossly undertreated in many terminally ill children, particularly, i n patients with noncancer diagnoses (e.g., HIV, cystic fibrosis). Regardles s of diagnosis, most problems respond to opioids and adjuvant drugs "borrow ed" from adult palliative care medicine. Resistant pain may require interve ntional techniques such as epidural and intrathecal catheters and neurolyti c blocks.