Submitted by: Gil Kimel
Patients suffering from advanced heart failure – there are more than 3,000 in B.C. – often have months to live, and more often than not, it’s an unsatisfactory quality of life. They are often unable to walk even a block without shortness of breath. They often fall victim to kidney failure and are at risk for falls that could cause further discomfort and immobility. And, knowing that their time is limited, they tend to become depressed. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Studies show that patients would “trade” half of their remaining life just to feel better. That would mean providing early palliative care now available to patients with cancer. Communicating regularly with patients and using data from patients’ cardiac devices, we could minimize their visits to hospital – where most patients say they don’t want to be – and minimize their symptoms to make the most of their final months or years of life.