Nutrition in the last days of life.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To summarize current knowledge about nutritional aspects in the final stage of life, with emphasis on mechanisms and clinical diagnosis, ethical aspects and management.

RECENT FINDINGS

The most recent advances on the subject include new mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology, use of therapeutic approach combined with n-3 fatty acids and the active intervention of the patient in decision making.

SUMMARY

The nutritional deterioration in a patient who passes the last stages of his life constitutes a subject area to varied analysis and considerations. For this reason, there exist an increasing number of investigations, particularly in the areas of pathophysiology and of therapeutics. The aspects related to quality of life, cultural context and bioethics, add more complexity to the subject.