Table 6.

Comparison of CDS and euthanasia for refractory intolerable suffering.^13,41.

	CDS	Euthanasia
Prognosis	Hours–days (‘Imminently dying’)	In Belgium and the Netherlands, no need to be terminally ill but ‘no prospect of relief’; other statutes imply advanced progressive disease or less than 12 months
Intention	Relief of suffering	Ending life
Method	Reducing awareness	Killing the patient
Procedure	Continuous infusion of IV/SC sedatives (±dose titration)	Lethal cocktail (deliberate overdose)
Criterion of success	Relief of distress	Death of the patient
Time-scale	Hours–days (not predetermined)	Immediate death

CDS: continuous sedation until death; IV: intravenous; SC: subcutaneous.