Identifying end of life needs in acute cardiac patients: a comparison of prognostic tools

Abstract Introduction and aims Identifying patients with non-malignant disease in the hospital setting who might benefit from palliative and supportive care is challenging. There is little research in this area. A screening tool, the Scottish Palliative Care Indicator Tool (SPICT) was developed to help identify acute cardiac patients who might benefit from supportive/palliative care. We aimed to compare this new tool with the Gold Standards Framework Prognostic Indicator Guide (GSF-PIG)and two clinical prognostic scores currently used in hospital practice (GRACE and Seattle). Methods Consecutive patients admitted to a cardiology ward with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and acute heart failure (AHF) over a 4 week period were identified. Data for SPICT, GSF-PIG, GRACE (estimated 6 month% mortality) and Seattle scores (estimated 12 month% mortality) were obtained from patient records and by interviews with hospital staff. Results Conclusions SPICT and GSF identified ACS patients with significantly higher risk of death within 6 months of discharge. Neither prognostic tool appeared to predict Seattle score mortality in patients with AHF. SPICT and GSF have equivalent predictive utility in identifying acute cardiac patients nearing end-of life.