Last year of life of adults with congenital heart diseases: causes of death and patterns of care.

ABSTRACT:

Aims

Although life expectancy in adults with congenital heart diseases (CHD) has increased dramatically over the past five decades, still a substantial number of patients dies prematurely. To gain understanding in the trajectories of dying in adults with CHD, the last year of life warrants further investigation. Therefore, our study aimed to (i) define the causes of death and (ii) describe the patterns of healthcare utilization in the last year of life of adults with CHD.

Methods and results

This retrospective mortality follow-back study used healthcare claims and clinical data from BELCODAC, which includes patients with CHD from Belgium. Healthcare utilization comprises cardiovascular procedures, CHD physician contacts, general practitioner visits, hospitalizations, emergen

SUBMITTER: Van Bulck L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9637423 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature