If a patient is dying and still suffering great pain

what is the least harmful alternative? Here we prefer continuous sedation until death （CSD）. CSD differs from physician-assisted death （PAD） in many aspects. Firstly

CSD is not used to shorten life or cause death

but instead its intention is to relieve suffering. Secondly

once CSD is associated with a reduction in or suspension of food intake

the duration of sedation is too short to have an impact on survival rate. Thirdly

CSD is titrated while PAD is often overdosed. Fourthly

the sanctity of life could be maintained since sedation is used merely as a means of quelling suffering. Last but no least

for unconscious patients

the same medicines are frequently used for both palliative sedation and standard surgical procedures.