Table 4: Classification of life-ending acts without explicit patient request according to drugs and doses used and expressed wish for life ending*

Drug(s) used	Administration schedule	Expressed wish to end life		No expressed wish to end life		Total
Drug(s) used	Administration schedule	Explicit	Implicit	Patient incapable	Patient capable	Total
Opioid dose no higher than necessary for symptom control, with or without low-dose benzodiazepines	Stable dose over final 3 d	1	1	7	2	11
	Gradual increase in opioids over final 3 d	1	2	8	2	13
	Strong increase in opioids on final day	2		3		5
Opioid doses or sedatives not normally used as part of mainstream palliative care	Opioid doses exceeding symptom requirements, but either stable or gradually increasing, with or without low-dose benzodiazepines			3	1	4
	Opioid doses exceeding symptom requirements and strongly rising on last day, with or without low-dose benzodiazepines	3	2	6		11
	Strong sedatives (barbiturates, propofol or high-dose benzodiazepines)	3	7	9	1	20
Unspecified doses of opioids, benzodiazepines or both			1	1		2
Total		10	13	37	6	66

*Reported by the physicians themselves: drugs, doses, opioid course in final 3 days, and whether opioid doses were higher than necessary to relieve symptoms. Judgments of low-dose v. high-dose benzodiazepines were made by the authors: Low-dose benzodiazepines: lorazepam ≤ 2.5 mg; diazepam ≤ 20 mg or no dose indicated; midazolam ≤ 2 mg High-dose benzodiazepines: lorazepam > 2.5 mg; midazolam > 2 mg or no dose indicated.