UF cardiovascular medicine researchers – in collaboration with colleagues at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, University of Massachusetts Medical School, and Tufts University – examined the frequency of advance care planning (ACP) discussions between providers and their geriatric patients considering TAVR. The purpose of ACP discussions is to align patient goals with healthcare provider goals in order to maximize quality of care provided.
The study, entitled “Advance care planning billing codes in patients undergoing TAVR is infrequent and associated with adverse TAVR outcomes,” was recently published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
The study determined that contemporary patients undergoing TAVR who are engaged in ACP conversations are older and have multiple medical comorbidities. Overall, ACP in this population was low, occurred most often after TAVR, and was associated with complications, including death, suggesting ACP was reactive rather than proactive.
The researchers concluded that more research is needed to understand the patterns of ACP use and the association with adverse outcomes and mortality in geriatric patients undergoing TAVR.