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Palliative Care in Children With Advanced Heart Disease in a Tertiary Care Environment: A Mini Review

Eva Bergsträsser1, Saumya Lukose1, Karin Zimmermann1,2

  • 1Pediatric Palliative Care, Department of Medicine I, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine
|April 25, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric palliative care for advanced heart disease is evolving. Collaboration between pediatric cardiology and palliative care is crucial for supporting children and families facing end-of-life challenges.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Cardiology
  • Palliative Care
  • Pediatric Advanced Heart Disease

Background:

  • Pediatric palliative care is expanding, especially for children with advanced heart disease.
  • Advanced heart disease in children presents risks of long-term morbidities and premature death, similar to cancer.
  • Current knowledge on care for these children requires synthesis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current knowledge on pediatric palliative care for advanced heart disease.
  • To examine medical care across illness phases, symptom burden, parental experiences, and prognostic understanding.
  • To assess the current involvement of pediatric palliative care.

Main Methods:

  • Mini-review of current knowledge.
  • Analysis of medical care, symptom burden, parental experiences, and prognostic understanding.
  • Assessment of pediatric palliative care integration.

Main Results:

  • Suffering is pronounced for children with advanced heart disease at end-of-life.
  • Parents often feel unprepared for medical issues and their child's death.
  • Pediatric palliative care involvement is currently limited.

Conclusions:

  • Effective partnership between pediatric cardiology and palliative care is essential.
  • Timely involvement of palliative care is needed to support children and families.
  • Improved collaboration can enhance care for pediatric advanced heart disease patients.

Keywords:
advanced heart diseasecongenital heart diseaseend-of-life carepalliative carepediatric cardiologypediatricssufferingsymptoms

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