Vol 15, No 4 (2020)
Case report
Published online: 2020-11-25
Heart failure: unfavorable patient prognosis from the coexistence of many diseases
DOI: 10.5603/FC.2020.0043
Folia Cardiologica 2020;15(4):312-315.
Abstract
Due to its incidence (approx. 750,000 patients in Poland) and simultaneous short survival time (only approx. 50% of patients survive 4 years after the diagnosis), heart failure (HF) poses a serious problem in contemporary cardiology. The clinical case presented below concerns a HF patient with multiple comorbidities which make prognosis significantly more difficult. Clinical assessment is of key importance with regard to the determination of treatment and the decision to implement palliative care. Despite the administration of optimal pharmacological treatment of HF, the condition of the patient in question deteriorated significantly within two months — to such extent that treatment characteristic of the end-of-life period had to be implemented. Such procedure is supported by the current scientific reports suggesting the implementation of palliative treatment already at earlier stages of HF advancement, particularly in patients with severe comorbidities.
Keywords: heart failurepalliative careleft ventricular ejection fractionprognosis
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