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Médecine thérapeutique / Pédiatrie

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How does the law about End-of-life apply to child with polyhandicap ? Volume 15, issue 1, Janvier-Février-Mars 2012

Authors
AP-HP, Service de neuropédiatrie, Pathologie du développement, Hôpital Trousseau, Paris, France, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, ParisVI, Paris France, AP-HP, Pôle polyhandicap pédiatrique, Hôpital de La Roche Guyon, 95000 La Roche Guyon, France, AP-HP, Fédération du polyhandicap de l’AP-HP, Paris, France, CESAP : Comité d’étude, d’éducation et de soins auprès des personnes polyhandicapées, Paris, France

The law « Leonetti » clarified and framed the decision and the implementation of the care and the treatments administered to the patient at the end-of-life. In child with polyhandicap, care and treatments do not intend to cure him, but to improve his/her quality of life and to fight against the over-handicaps : these are indeed palliative care, even if they go on over very long periods, often several years. For child with polyhandicap, End-of-life care is set up when his/her state deteriorates and it can include limitation or stop of certain treatments. Leonetti law helps to clarify what differentiates palliative and End-of-life care for child with polyhandicap, as shown here in a peculiar clinical situation.