Palliative care in Hospitalized Middle-Aged and Older Adults With COVID-19

Context. As COVID-19 overwhelms health systems worldwide, palliative care strategies may ensure rational use of resources while safeguarding patient comfort and dignity. Objective. To describe palliative care practices in hospitalized middle-aged and older adults in two of the largest COVID-19 treatment centers in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Methods. Retrospective cohort. Eligible patients were those aged 50 years or older hospitalized between March and May 2020 with a laboratory confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Palliative care implementation was defined as present if medical notes indicated a decision to limit escalation of life support measures, or when opioids or sedatives were prescribed for palliative management of symptoms. Results. We included 1162 participants (57% male, median 65 years). Overall, 21% were frail and 54% were treated in intensive care units, but only 17% received palliative care. Stepwise logistic regression demonstrated that age >= 80 years, dementia, history of stroke or cancer, frailty, having a PaO2/FiO(2)<200 or a C-reactive protein >= 150mg/dL at admission predicted palliative care implementation. Patients placed under palliative care stayed longer (13 vs.11 days) and were more likely to die in hospital (86 vs.27%). They also spent more days in ICU and received vasoactive drugs, hemodialysis, and invasive ventilation more frequently. Conclusions. One in five middle-aged and older adults hospitalized with COVID-19 received palliative care in our cohort. Patients who were very old, multimorbid, frail, and had severe COVID-19 were more likely to receive palliative care. However, it was often delayed until advanced and invasive life support measures had already been implemented. (C) 2022 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study aimed to describe palliative care practices for hospitalized middle-aged and older adults with COVID-19 in two of the largest treatment centers in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The results showed that one in five patients received palliative care, and those who were older, had multiple illnesses, were frail, and had severe COVID-19 were more likely to receive palliative care. However, the care was often provided after advanced and invasive life support measures had already been implemented.