End-Stage/Advanced Heart Failure: Geriatric Palliative Care Considerations

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Cardiology
• Palliative Care

Background:

• Heart failure (HF) is a global health crisis with high morbidity and mortality.
• HF significantly impacts healthcare budgets due to frequent hospitalizations and misaligned care.
• Comorbidities in elderly HF patients present complex management challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the importance of palliative care in advanced heart failure.
• To identify key palliative interventions for geriatric patients with HF.
• To emphasize optimizing care aligned with patient values.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on heart failure management and palliative care.
• Analysis of challenges in geriatric HF care, including comorbidities and polypharmacy.
• Identification of primary palliative care opportunities.

Main Results:

• Advance care planning is crucial for aligning care with patient wishes.
• Medication education and minimizing polypharmacy are key palliative strategies.
• Timely referral to hospice ensures optimal symptom management at end of life.

Conclusions:

• Integrating palliative care early improves quality of life for advanced HF patients.
• Proactive palliative interventions can reduce hospitalizations and healthcare costs.
• Specialist palliative care is essential for managing complex geriatric HF cases.