End-Stage Cardiac Disease: Have you seen this patient today?

Patients with end-stage cardiac disease can suffer immensely when this illness transitions from a chronic phase to a terminal one.  Today we will look at one particular patient, who’s profile and needs make them a candidate for hospice care.

Mr. Deitrick*, age 67, suffers from congestive heart failure (CHF). Recently, he has become more symptomatic, requiring increasingly frequent visits to his physician as well as frequent changes in his medications to remove fluids.  He is oxygen dependent, uses a walker for support, has plus four bilateral leg edema, and takes multiple rest periods in order to compensate for hisfatigue & shortness of breath.

During a recent hospitalization for pneumonia, his wife asked the physician if she thought Mr. Detrick would be able to attend their grandson’s high school graduation. But, with Mr. Detrick in such a vulnerable state, the physician recommended against it.

Each time these episodes occur, his family becomes increasingly worried and anxious about his health, wondering if he will recover. They continue to notice a decrease in his ability to perform ADL’s, and his loss of interest in simple pleasures he once loved.

But, Mr. Detrick and his family can change this dynamic by taking advantage of hospice care. Hospice can help reduce some of the stress the family has been experiencing and increase his quality of life.

Keep Mr. Deitrick, and other patients like him, home with their families.

*This is a composite example. Real patient information has not been included.