Palliative Care for Patients With Heart Failure

Symptom Burden, Depression, and Spiritual Well-Being: A Comparison of Heart Failure and Advanced Cancer Patients

“…Little researchbased evidence exists to guide practitioners on which patients with heart failure might be appropriate to receive palliative care, and when it should be provided, especially given the association of palliative care with end of life care. 16,[37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48] The ACC/AHA 2005 Guideline Update for the Diagnosis and Management of Chronic Heart Failure in the Adult generally equates palliative care with hospice and primarily discusses it in the context of end of life care. 49 However, palliative care can be understood as care that should be provided from the time of diagnosis of a serious illness, which is often much earlier than when patients are eligible for hospice or at the end of life.…”

Using the Experiences of Bereaved Caregivers to Inform Patient- and Caregiver-centered Advance Care Planning

“…However, the need expressed by caregivers for patients with COPD and HF to make decisions regarding potentially life-prolonging therapies highlights the importance of including treatment goals as part of advance care planning for patients whose diseases have an unpredictable course. 21 The finding that some patients became less willing to undergo intensive therapies when faced with an exacerbation of their illness adds to the complexity of our understanding of how patients' treatment preference change over time. Prior studies have documented that patients' preferences can change in response to changes in their state of health.…”

Palliative Medicine Consultation for Preparedness Planning in Patients Receiving Left Ventricular Assist Devices as Destination Therapy

“…19,20 To avoid situations in which advance care wishes are unclear or unknown, palliative medicine (PM) consultation has been suggested 8,17,[21][22][23] to address end-of-life preferences, facilitate advance care planning, manage symptoms, and maximize QOL. Several authors have called for PM involvement in patients with advanced heart disease to improve health status and QOL, [24][25][26][27][28][29] and a recent randomized study of early palliative care vs standard care in advanced lung cancer has demonstrated improved QOL, improved mood, and survival benefit. 30 Herein, we describe our initial experience with proactive PM consultation in patients receiving DT.…”