Providing End-of-Life Care for Patients With Left Ventricular Assist Devices: Experience of a Hospice Agency

Abstract

ContextPatients with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) need expert palliative care at the end of life. In the U.S., hospice may provide this care, but few patients enroll, and information about hospice experience with LVAD-implanted patients is limited. ObjectiveTo describe hospice experience with LVAD-implanted patients. MethodsThis is a retrospective descriptive study of all LVAD-implanted patients admitted to a hospice agency. Data were extracted from the electronic health record. ResultsThe 13 patients had a mean age of 63 years (range 20–89) and a mean LVAD duration of 32.5 months (range 8.2–70.0). Hospice diagnosis was heart failure in 10 patients and cancer in three patients; all patients were multimorbid. Eight patients enrolled in hospice on one occasion, four had two enrollments, and one had five. All patients received services for <180 days, three for <7 days, and four patients for >90 days. Just-in-time inservicing was used to prepare hospice teams for challenging care needs, including bleeding, delirium, infections, and mechanical failure. Of the nine patients who died while receiving hospice services, one enrolled with a plan to deactivate the LVAD immediately after hospice enrollment, and six died after discontinuation of the LVAD or other life-sustaining therapy during the course of hospice care. Five deaths occurred in a hospice inpatient unit. ConclusionTo provide specialist palliative care to LVAD-implanted patients, hospices must be prepared to manage complex and highly varied needs. To do this, hospices must have adequate staff support and access to acute care.