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. 2023 Aug;51(4):1119-1126.
doi: 10.1007/s15010-023-02020-z. Epub 2023 Mar 23.

Specialized palliative care for hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection: an analysis of the LEOSS registry

Kirsten Schmidt-Hellerau #  1 , Claudia Raichle  2 , Maria M Ruethrich  3 , Jörg J Vehreschild  4   5   6 , Julia Lanznaster  7 , Susana M Nunes de Miranda  4 , Claudia Bausewein  8 , Maria J G T Vehreschild  6   9 , Carolin E M Koll  4 , Steffen T Simon  10 , Kerstin Hellwig  11 , Björn-Erik O Jensen #  12 , Norma Jung #  4 ; LEOSS Study Group
Collaborators, Affiliations

Specialized palliative care for hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection: an analysis of the LEOSS registry

Kirsten Schmidt-Hellerau et al. Infection. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

Purpose: Symptom control for patients who were severely ill or dying from COVID-19 was paramount while resources were strained and infection control measures were in place. We aimed to describe the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients who received specialized palliative care (SPC) and the type of SPC provided in a larger cohort.

Methods: From the multi-centre cohort study Lean European Open Survey on SARS-CoV-2 infected patients (LEOSS), data of patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infection documented between July 2020 and October 2021 were analysed.

Results: 273/7292 patients (3.7%) received SPC. Those receiving SPC were older and suffered more often from comorbidities, but 59% presented with an estimated life expectancy > 1 year. Main symptoms were dyspnoea, delirium, and excessive tiredness. 224/273 patients (82%) died during the hospital stay compared to 789/7019 (11%) without SPC. Symptom control was provided most common (223/273; 95%), followed by family and psychological support (50% resp. 43%). Personal contact with friends or relatives before or during the dying phase was more often documented in patients receiving SPC compared to patients without SPC (52% vs. 30%).

Conclusion: In 3.7% of SARS-CoV-2 infected hospitalized patients, the burden of the acute infection triggered palliative care involvement. Besides complex symptom management, SPC professionals also focused on psychosocial and family issues and aimed to enable personal contacts of dying patients with their family. The data underpin the need for further involvement of SPC in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients but also in other severe chronic infectious diseases.

Keywords: COVID-19; Hospitalized patients; Infectious diseases; Multicentre prospective cohort; Palliative care; Pandemic.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Type of previous residence and residence after discharge of hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 positive patients receiving or not receiving SPC. *Includes discharge to rehabilitation facility or refugee accommodation, homeless persons and others
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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