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Commentary on: Hadler RA, Goldstein NE, Bekelman DB, et al. “Why Would I Choose Death?”: A Qualitative Study of Patient Understanding of the Role and Limitations of Cardiac Devices. J Cardiovasc Nurs 2019;34:275–82. doi: 10.1097/JCN.0000000000000565.
Implications for practice and research
Stage II-IV heart failure patients with cardiac devices may overestimate their device’s ability to prevent further deterioration and death. This may become a barrier to engaging in advance care planning.
Further research is required to evaluate best methods of engaging these patients in discussions around advance care planning and device deactivation.
Context
Guidelines for managing patients with heart failure indicate that discussions about the condition, treatment options and advance care planning should be discussed at an early stage of the disease.1 Prior to implanting a cardiac device, clinicians should be discussing when device deactivation might become appropriate.2–4 This study …
Footnotes
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Commissioned; internally peer reviewed.