End-of-life care in heart failure

The clinical syndrome of heart failure is increasing in prevalence, as is the number of elderly persons with heart failure. Increasing frailty and progression of heart failure in large numbers of patients means clinicians are increasingly challenged to provide end-of-life care for heart failure patients. End-of-life care has been little studied, but management can be understood from early clinical trials of advanced heart failure. Evidence-based heart failure medications, including angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and β blockers, improve symptoms in patients with advanced heart failure and depressed ejection fraction and should usually be continued in end-stage disease. Patients also should have ongoing meticulous management of fluid status to maximize quality of life. End-of-life care should be planned with the patient and family and should incorporate comprehensive symptom management, bereavement support, and spiritual support. Ongoing communication with patients and families about prognosis can ease the planning of care when the end of life nears.     

End-of-life care in the treatment of heart failure in the elderly

Much of the literature dedicated to the topic of medical care of dying patients has revolved around terminal care provided to patients who have neoplastic diagnoses. Heart failure (HF) presents its own unique challenges to the clinician. This article focuses on specific clinical recommendations and an analysis of some of the ethical issues involved in the provision of care to elderly patients in the terminal stages of HF.     

End-of-life care in the treatment of heart failure in the elderly

Much of the literature dedicated to the topic of medical care of dying patients has revolves around terminal care provided to patients who have neoplastic diagnoses. Heart failure (HF) presents its own unique challenges to the clinician. This article focuses on specific clinical recommendations and an analysis of some of the ethical issues involved in the provision of care to elderly patients in the terminal stages of HF.     

老年患者慢性心衰症状的特点研究与护理康复思路

目的分析老年慢性心力衰竭（CHF）的临床特点及其康复护理的方法和效果。方法收集2012年1月至2013年12月我院收治的CHF患者169例,分析≥60岁与〈60岁患者的临床特点。122例≥60岁患者随机分为观察组与对照组,每组61例,对照组行常规护理,观察组在对照组的基础上行综合护理干预,比较2组的护理效果。结果老年CHF患者缺乏典型临床症状,主要表现为呼吸困难、咳嗽咳痰、水肿少尿、消化系统症状等。观察组护理后心功能分级较对照组显著降低,METS评分、6 min步行距离显著高于对照组,生活质量较对照组显著提高（P〈0.05或P〈0.01）。结论老年CHF患者缺乏典型临床表现,容易合并重要脏器并发症,早期密切监测并实施综合护理干预,有利于改善患者的心功能,提高生活质量。     

Diagnosis of heart failure in elderly patients in primary care

BACKGROUND: Heart failure is difficult to diagnose in a primary care setting with a reported false positive diagnosis in up to 70% of cases. Aims: To use echocardiography in a large rural practice to evaluate the accuracy of diagnosis of heart failure in patients over 65 years of age. METHODS: Sixty patients with a previous diagnosis of heart failure were selected at random from the practice records and were invited to attend for an echocardiogram at the practice premises. RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients attended, the age was 81+/-7 years, 29% had impaired left ventricular (LV) systolic function of whom 65% were in atrial fibrillation. A further 7% had isolated diastolic LV dysfunction. The prevalence of heart failure by clinical assessment was 29 per 1000 in this patient group and 9 per 1000 when echocardiography was used to confirm the diagnosis. CONCLUSION: True heart failure in this population is less prevalent than has been estimated from practice records.     

Diagnosis of elderly patients with heart failure

The prevalence and mortality of heart failure (HF) increase with age. As a result, the early diagnosis of HF in this population is useful to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and probably mortality. However, the diagnosis of HF in the elderly is a challenge. These challenges arise from the under-representation of elderly patients in diagnostic studies and clinical trials, the increasing prevalence of HF with relatively normal ejection fraction, the difficulty in accurate diagnosis, the underuse of diagnostic tests, and the presence of co-morbidities. Particularly in the elderly, symptoms and signs of HF may be atypical and can be simulated or disguised by co-morbidities such as respiratory disease, obesity, and venous insufficiency. This review aims to provide a practical clinical approach for the diagnosis of older patients with HF based on the scarce available evidence and our clinical experience. Therefore, it should be interpreted in many aspects as an opinion paper with practical implications. The most useful clinical symptoms are orthopnoea and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea. However, confirmation of the diagnosis always requires further tests. Although natriuretic peptides accurately exclude cardiac dysfunction as a cause of symptoms, the optimal cut-off level for ruling out HF in elderly patients with other co-morbidities is still not clear. In our opinion, echocardiography should be performed in all elderly patients to confirm the diagnosis of HF, except in those cases with low clinical probability and a concentration of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) or N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP) lower than 100 or 400 pg/mL, respectively.     

Exercise therapy for elderly heart failure patients

Exercise intolerance is one of the hallmark symptoms of heart failure (HF). Exercise training in this condition was not explored as a therapeutic modality until the past two decades. In fact, bed rest was promoted as a treatment for certain forms of HF in the 1970s. Over the past two decades, however, data have shown convincingly that exercise training can be implemented safely in patients who have HF, with significant improvement in functional capacity, various other physiologic variables, and quality of life. This article reviews the accumulated literature in this area, with specific emphasis on the effects of exercise training in older patients who have HF, a subset that may have the most to gain from such training.     

Exercise therapy for elderly heart failure patients

Exercise intolerance is one of the hallmark symptoms of heart failure (HF). Exercise training in this condition was not explored as a therapeutic modality until the past two decades. In fact, bed rest was promoted as a treatment for certain forms of HF in the 1970s. Over the past two decades, however, data have shown convincingly that exercise training can be implemented safely in patients who have HF, with significant improvement in functional capacity, various other physiologic variables, and quality of life. This article reviews the accumulated literature in this area, with specific emphasis on the effects of exercise training in older patients who have HF, a subset that may have the most to gain from such training.     

End-of-life care for COPD patients.

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) receive poor end-of-life (EoL) care, in part because their disease course is not predictable. If the family physician would not be surprised at the patient's death within a year, then EoL issues should be raised for discussion. Embarking on such a discussion has the potential to enhance the patient's quality of life and EoL care, thereby avoiding unnecessary treatments or interventions. An Advance Health Care Directive can be useful. Appropriately-used systemic (not nebulised) opioids are safe and effective for managing dyspnoea. The family physician is in an excellent position to provide comprehensive EoL care for COPD patients.     

老年人心力衰竭临床特点的对比分析

目的 :通过对不同年龄心力衰竭 (HF)常见临床特点进行对比分析 ,为临床诊断和治疗老年HF提供帮助。方法 :70 4例 45岁以上HF患者按年龄分为 3组 ,45～ 5 9岁为老年前期组 ,6 0～ 74岁为老年组 ,75岁以上为高龄组。采用回顾调查法对其临床表现进行对比分析。结果 :不同年龄组HF各有特点 ,且随着增龄 ,出现多方面的变化 :①舒张性HF比例逐渐增加 ,左HF的比例尤其是急性左HF和慢性左HF急性发作显著增加 ,重度HF、血压下降以及心源性休克的比例亦显著增加 ;②年龄越大 ,症状越不典型 ,各种呼吸困难及HF时典型的阵发性呼吸困难的比例显著减少 ,而非典型性咳嗽、咳痰、精神障碍的比例明显增加 ;③心脏增大的比例逐渐降低 ,单纯心率增快的比例显著增加 ;肺部阳性体征明显增加 ,哮鸣音和湿音的比例显著增多 ;④肺、肾、脑、消化道、各种栓塞等并发症显著增加。结论 :不同年龄HF临床表现各具特点 ,年龄越大 ,临床表现越不典型 ,病情也越重 ,易在短期内并发重要脏器严重并发症 ,预后不良 ;不同年龄HF治疗应区别对待     

Psychosocial considerations in elderly patients with heart failure

Neuropsychiatric conditions, such as Alzheimer's dementia, and complications, such as delirium, are common in elderly patients with heart failure. Persistent alcohol abuse and cigarette smoking sometimes contribute to the onset and progression of heart failure. Major depression and other depressive disorders are common in this population and have adverse effects on functional status, quality of life, and prognosis. Anxiety and social isolation are clinically significant problems in many cases. These problems often are treatable and deserve more clinical attention than they typically receive.     

舒适护理对老年慢性心衰患者抑郁和焦虑的干预观察

目的 探讨舒适护理对老年慢性心衰患者抑郁和焦虑的干预作用,以寻求有效的护理方法.方法 80例老年慢性心衰患者随机分为舒适护理组（40例）和常规护理对照组（40例）.对照组患者行常规护理,舒适护理组在与常规组患者相同的常规护理的基础上采取舒适护理.采用医院焦虑抑郁量表对患者的抑郁和焦虑程度进行评估.舒适护理观察从人院时开始进行,分别在观察开始前和观察开始后1m进行与检测,并对结果进行比较与分析.结果 观察开始后1 m,两组患者的抑郁和焦虑得分均比观察开始前明显降低（P＜0.05、P＜0.01）,组间比较发现舒适护理组患者抑郁和焦虑程度比常规护理组有更明显的改善（P＜0.05、P＜0.01）.结论 舒适护理能够改善老年慢性心衰患者抑郁和焦虑状况,是值得临床应用的护理良法.