Paliatívna medicína a liečba bolesti 1-2e/2020

Heart failure in the view of palliative medicine

Heart failure is a complex clinical syndrome, where we can see a multiorgan damage. Advanced heart failure is a condition that significantly reduces quality of life and causes suffering to patients. Classification of heart failure according to the left ventricular ejection fraction may be insufficient for pathophysiological classification. It is desirable to use other parameters to determine the clinical phenotype and its characteristics. In elderly patients, the specificities of older age should be taken into account. In case of advanced heart failure, palliative procedures must be applied to relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life.

Keywords: advanced heart failure, prognosis, classification, palliative care, elderly