Rationale and design of the EPCHF trial: the early palliative care in heart failure trial (EPCHF)

Autor: Ralf Westenfeld, Fabian Draht, Christian Frédéric Zachoval, Marc Ulrich Becher, Birgitta Weltermann, Mahmoud Balata, Michaela Hesse, Thomas Standl, Lukas Radbruch, Georg Nickenig, Roman Pfister, Martin Neukirchen
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Clinical Research in Cardiology
ISSN: 1861-0692
1861-0684
DOI: 10.1007/s00392-021-01903-1
Popis: The progressive nature of heart failure (HF) coupled with high mortality and poor quality-of-life (QoL) mandates greater attention to palliative care (PC) as a routine component of HF management. Limited evidence exists from randomized controlled trials supporting the use of interdisciplinary palliative care in the progressive course of HF. The early palliative care in heart failure trial (EPCHF) is a prospective, controlled, nonblinded, multicenter study of an interdisciplinary palliative care intervention in 200 patients with symptomatic HF characterized by NYHA ≥ 2. The 12-month EPCHF intervention includes monthly consultations by a palliative care team focusing on physical and psychosocial symptom relief, attention to spiritual concerns and advance care planning. The primary endpoint is evaluated by health-related QoL questionnaires after 12 months of treatment. First the functional assessment of chronic illness therapy palliative care (FACIT-Pal) score evaluating QoL living with a chronic disease and second the Kansas City cardiomyopathy questionnaire (KCCQ) measuring QoL living with heart failure will be determined. Secondary endpoints are changes in anxiety/depression (HADS), symptom burden score (MIDOS), spiritual well-being functional assessment of chronic illness therapy spiritual well-being scale (FACIT-Sp), medical resource and cost assessment. EPCHF will help evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of palliative care in symptomatic HF using a patient-centered outcome as well as clinical and economic endpoints. EPCHF is funded by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF, 01GY17).
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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