Benjamin Gandesbery1, Krista Dobbie2, Emer Joyce2, Laura J. Hoeksema2, Silvia Perez Protto2, Eiran Z. Gorodeski2
1Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Cleveland, OH, USA.
2Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
Tóm tắt
Background: Secondary palliative care (SPC) provides several benefits for patients with cardiovascular disease, but historically, it has been underutilized in this population. Prior research suggests a low rate of SPC consultation by surgical teams in general, but little is known about how surgical teams utilize SPC in the setting of severe cardiovascular disease. Aim: To determine if surgical team assignment affects the probability of SPC for inpatients dying of cardiovascular disease. Design: Retrospective, cohort study. Methods: We identified all inpatients at a large cardiac hospital who had anticipated death under the care of a cardiology, cardiac surgery, or vascular surgery team in 2016. Our primary outcome was referral to SPC, including palliative medicine consultation or inpatient hospice care. Informed by univariate analysis, we created a multivariable logistic regression model, the significance of which was assessed with the Wald test. Results: Two hundred thirty-seven patients were included in our analysis: 93 (39%) received SPC and 144 (61%) were “missed opportunities.” Secondary palliative care was less frequent in patients assigned to a surgical, versus medical, team (11% vs 47%, P < .001). On multivariate analysis, surgical versus medical team assignment was the strongest risk-adjusted predictor of SPC (odds ratio [OR]: 0.10, P < .001). Other predictors of SPC included do not resuscitate status on admission (OR: 14, P < .001), length of stay (OR = 1.05/day, P < .001), and having Medicare (OR = 3.9, P = .002). Conclusions: Primary inpatient care by a surgical team had a strong inverse relationship with SPC. This suggests a possible cultural barrier within surgical disciplines to SPC.
