Palliative trajectory markers for end-stage heart failure. Or "oh Toto. This doesn't look like kancerous!"

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Palliative Care Medicine

Background:

• Heart failure presents significant morbidity and mortality, with Canadian annual mortality rates ranging from 25% to 40%.
• End-stage heart failure patients experience severe, debilitating symptoms requiring effective palliative care.
• Accurate prognostication for palliative care designation (six months or less) in heart failure is difficult due to unpredictable disease trajectories.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review existing literature for clear palliative trajectory markers in heart failure.
• To assess the feasibility of developing a tool to aid healthcare professionals in identifying patients with a prognosis of six months or less.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive review of current literature on heart failure palliative care markers.
• Analysis of clinical experience within a major teaching hospital's cardiac clinic in Vancouver.

Main Results:

• The study aimed to identify tangible markers for predicting a six-month or less trajectory in heart failure.
• The research sought to determine if these markers could inform the development of a clinical decision-making tool.

Conclusions:

• Clear palliative trajectory markers for heart failure are needed to improve prognostication.
• A validated tool could significantly assist healthcare professionals in timely palliative care referrals for heart failure patients.