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Rethinking the Meaning of Palliation in Heart Failure

  • Ethics / Palliative Care (S Fedson, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Heart Failure Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Palliative care follows a philosophy of care that focuses upon the quality of life in patients with chronic or life-threatening illness. It also focuses upon the needs of their families which is a wider scope of care. Cardiovascular disease, and specifically heart failure, affects millions of patients and family members who have a symptom burden that exceeds that of many cancers and other chronic diseases.

Recently Findings

Historically palliative care has been viewed as an alternative to curative therapies, but over time, it is now recognized that it should be implemented earlier in the course of chronic diseases. Although non-oncologic patients now comprise over half of the patient seen by palliative care, patients with cardiovascular disease are still not being referred to palliative care.

Summary

Palliative care goes beyond advance directives and end of life planning. There is a need to continue to expand the view of palliative care to encompass interventions that help improve the overall health of these patients, including their psychosocial well-being and quality of life. The collection of papers in this journal provides insight into the breadth of palliative care for patients with heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases.

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References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Acknowledgments

I would to thank my colleagues who contributed articles for this thematic collection and Drs. Sarah Goodlin and James Kirkpatrick who have been good sounding boards over the years.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Cardiology, Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Suite 310D, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Savitri Fedson

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Correspondence to Savitri Fedson.

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Fedson, S. Rethinking the Meaning of Palliation in Heart Failure. Curr Heart Fail Rep 17, 309–313 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11897-020-00483-x

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