Disease-State Understanding and Experience of Patients Receiving Continuous Intravenous Inotropic Support as...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Palliative Care
• Patient Outcomes

Background:

• Continuous intravenous inotropic support (CIIS) is increasingly used for advanced heart failure (HF).
• CIIS can improve functional class but does not extend survival.
• Understanding patient perceptions of CIIS is crucial for goal-concordant care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess patient understanding of CIIS therapeutic intent.
• To evaluate prognostic awareness in patients receiving CIIS.
• To examine quality of life (QoL) and treatment satisfaction in advanced HF patients on CIIS.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, cross-sectional, multicenter study.
• Survey administered via telephone to 48 outpatients on CIIS in the US (2020-2022).
• Descriptive and inferential statistics used for data analysis.

Main Results:

• Most patients expected CIIS to improve well-being (79%) and longevity (75%), but not cure HF (19%).
• Overall QoL was rated as somewhat better (46%) or significantly better (35%).
• High treatment satisfaction reported (87% at least somewhat satisfied).

Conclusions:

• Patients on palliative CIIS report enhanced QoL and high satisfaction.
• Patient expectations of increased survival with CIIS are misaligned with current evidence.
• Further research is needed to improve prognostic awareness and ensure goal-concordant care.