Palliative Therapy in Heart Failure

Abstract

Cardiac palliative care is a multidisciplinary approach provided alongside standard heart failure management to improve a patient's quality of life. In this article the authors review the role of palliative care in heart failure management, including recent studies exploring the benefits of palliative care consultation in the inpatient and outpatient setting. They also discuss approaches to goals-of-care discussions and challenges providing end-of-life care in this patient population.

Keywords: Heart failure; Palliative care; Prognostication; Referral; Symptom management.