Implementing patient-centered palliative care therapies, including adjusting or discontinuing medications as needed, can help control symptoms and improve quality of life for heart disease patients. This is according to a new scientific statement, “Palliative Pharmacotherapy for Cardiovascular Disease,” released today by the American Heart Association (AHA) in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
The statement reviews current evidence on the benefits and risks of cardiovascular and essential palliative medications. It offers guidance for healthcare professionals to incorporate palliative methods as part of comprehensive medication management at all stages of a patient’s condition, stressing the importance of shared decision-making and goal-oriented care.
Palliative care aims to relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life for those with serious illnesses. For cardiovascular disease patients, including those with coronary heart disease, valvular heart disease, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and heart failure, palliative care can provide significant benefits. These conditions often reduce quality of life, require ongoing treatment, are progressive, and have high mortality rates. Their progression can be unpredictable and marked by worsening symptoms, leading to recurrent hospitalizations.
Integrating palliative care with standard cardiovascular treatment helps reduce physical symptoms, manage emotional distress, and assist patients in making decisions aligned with their care goals. This approach can be applied to patients at any stage of heart disease, from chronic and stable conditions to advanced and end-stage disease, fostering a more goal-oriented, patient-centered treatment approach.
Research indicates that adding palliative care interventions to evidence-based cardiovascular care improves quality of life, functional status, depression, anxiety, and spiritual well-being. It also reduces hospital readmission risk for patients with advanced heart disease compared to standard clinical care alone. Despite these benefits, fewer than 20% of people with end-stage heart disease receive palliative care.
As reported by News Medical Life Sciences, disparities in cardiovascular care persist, with notable differences in outcomes based on race, ethnicity, gender, and social determinants of health. Heart failure patients referred to palliative care are predominantly white, of higher socioeconomic status, and more likely to receive care at academic medical centers. Patients from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups are less likely to receive palliative care, contributing to poorer outcomes and increased early mortality risks.