[Characteristics of Patients with Breathlessness]

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care
• Symptom Management
• Geriatric Medicine

Background:

• Breathlessness is a prevalent and distressing symptom in patients with advanced life-limiting diseases.
• Understanding the characteristics of breathless patients is crucial for optimizing palliative care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients experiencing breathlessness in German hospice and palliative care settings.
• To compare characteristics of patients with and without breathlessness.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of inpatient data from the Hospice and Palliative Care Evaluation (HOPE) survey (2006-2008).
• Utilized a validated 16-item symptom-and-problem checklist to assess symptom severity.
• Compared patient characteristics using descriptive statistics, accounting for multiple testing.

Main Results:

• Breathlessness was present in 53.8% of 5320 patients, predominantly with malignant disease.
• Breathless patients exhibited significantly worse functional status (ECOG 3-4: 78.4%) compared to non-breathless patients (70.8%).
• Breathless patients experienced a higher number and intensity of symptoms, and had a higher risk of mortality during inpatient stay (43.5% vs. 32.4%).

Conclusions:

• Breathlessness in advanced illness is linked to a substantial symptom burden and reduced survival.
• Patients experiencing breathlessness require increased attention and tailored interventions within healthcare.
• Findings highlight the need for enhanced management strategies for breathlessness in palliative care.