Palliative care for people living with cardiac disease

• DOI: 10.33963/kp.15276
• Publication Date: 2020-04-24T16:12:10Z
• Authors: Piotr Z. Sobański; Grażyna Brzezińsk...; Tomasz Grodzicki; Piotr Jakubów; Piotr Jankowski; Marcin Kurzyna; Jadwiga Nessler; Andrzej Przybylski; Anna Ratajska; Lidia Tomkiewicz ...; Izabella Uchmanowicz; Tomasz Pasierski
• Keywords: Expert opinion

Many cardiovascular diseases lead to heart failure, which is a progressive syndrome causing significant distress and limiting the quality of life, despite optimal cardiologic treatment. It estimated that about 26 000 people in Poland suffer from advanced this number growing. That why palliative care (PC) dedicated living with end‑stage cardiac should be urgently implemented Poland. Well‑organized PC may not only relieve symptoms improve life responding treatment but also support patients their families during dying process. Palliative continued end-of-life period. regardless prognosis, adjusted patients' needs. Two approaches are presented expert opinion. The first one (generic) provided by all medical professionals incorporating principles into usual patient care. second approach, namely, specialized PC, ensured multiprofessional team or at least specialist who received appropriate training PC. model needs-based (not prognosis-based) implementation discussed paper. Symptom control, decision-making, sensitive, open communication considered integral elements interventions. Medical developing think groups special needs like those valvular disease, grown‑up congenital pulmonary arterial hypertension, as well elderly people. This consensus document presents main recommendations for future organization Among others, we suggest changing Polish National Health Fund reimbursement rules regarding improving cardiologist education on