Section of Cardiology, Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Suite 310D, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
Curr Heart Fail Rep. 2020 Oct;17(5):309-313. doi: 10.1007/s11897-020-00483-x.
Palliative care follows a philosophy of care that focuses upon the quality of life in patients with chronic or life-threatening illness. It also focuses upon the needs of their families which is a wider scope of care. Cardiovascular disease, and specifically heart failure, affects millions of patients and family members who have a symptom burden that exceeds that of many cancers and other chronic diseases.
Historically palliative care has been viewed as an alternative to curative therapies, but over time, it is now recognized that it should be implemented earlier in the course of chronic diseases. Although non-oncologic patients now comprise over half of the patient seen by palliative care, patients with cardiovascular disease are still not being referred to palliative care. Palliative care goes beyond advance directives and end of life planning. There is a need to continue to expand the view of palliative care to encompass interventions that help improve the overall health of these patients, including their psychosocial well-being and quality of life. The collection of papers in this journal provides insight into the breadth of palliative care for patients with heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases.
姑息治疗遵循一种关怀理念，注重患有慢性或危及生命疾病的患者的生活质量。它还关注患者家属的需求，这是更广泛的关怀范围。心血管疾病，特别是心力衰竭，影响着数以百万计的患者和家属，他们的症状负担超过许多癌症和其他慢性疾病。
姑息治疗在历史上被视为治疗方法的替代方法，但随着时间的推移，现在人们认识到，它应该在慢性疾病的早期实施。尽管现在接受姑息治疗的患者中超过一半是非肿瘤患者，但仍未将心血管疾病患者转至姑息治疗。姑息治疗不仅仅是预先指示和临终规划。需要继续扩大姑息治疗的视野，包括有助于改善这些患者整体健康的干预措施，包括他们的社会心理福祉和生活质量。本期刊上的论文集提供了对心力衰竭和其他心血管疾病患者姑息治疗范围的深入了解。
