Palliative Care and Advance Care Planning in Pulmonary Hypertension

Abstract

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a progressive disease with high associated morbidity and mortality despite the development of novel therapies. Palliative care is a multidisciplinary field focused on optimization of quality of life and overall supportive care for patients and their families in the setting of life-limiting illness. Although the benefits of palliative care in oncology are well described, there are few studies regarding the timing and involvement of palliative care in PH patients. In this paper, we describe the importance of longitudinal advance care planning, including suggestions for addressing difficult topics such as end-of-life care, and the role of palliative care providers in helping guide these discussions throughout the course of the illness.