The most distressing symptom in a COVID death is the dyspnea, (shortness of breath) and ‘air hunger’ that comes from the inability of the lungs to absorb sufficient oxygen: or allow the removal of carbon dioxide from the body. It is the accumulation of CO2
that lowers the blood pH leading to an acute and life-
threatening respiratory acidosis (when blood becomes acidic) with the symptoms of headache and confusion added to the desperate search for breath.
There exist several ways to alleviate these symptoms and make one’s death a little easier.
Oxygen
Oxygen therapy delivered with or without passive ventilation. The use of oxygen may remove some of the distressing symptoms of ‘air hunger’ but, on its own, will not speed death.
Opiates
Morphine, Fentanyl, Opium, Heroin or even Codeine can dampen the distressing ‘air hunger’ symptom. These drugs are often used in a palliative setting to ‘make the patient comfortable’. These drugs suppress the respiratory drive and can hasten a pneumonic death. Obtaining restricted pharmaceutical opiates, though, can be difficult (see the Chapter on Opiates and Slow Euthanasia). Illegal sources may, therefore, be needed. While opium and heroin are very effective for this purpose, they would need to be smoked or administered intravenously.
Barbiturates As we all know, barbiturates are heavily-restricted drugs. However, their sedative and respiratory depressing qualities mean that even sub-lethal amounts of Nembutal can be very effectively employed to assist a pneumonic death. If you have