Advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: innovative approaches to palliation.
By the year 2020, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will be the third leading cause of death globally. While there have been consistent calls for increased palliative care involvement in the care of patients with advanced COPD, these calls should be based on empirical evidence that such an approach improves the symptom burden and poor quality of life associated with advanced COPD. Rather than reviewing the traditional treatments of airflow obstruction and palliative measures familiar to the palliative care community, we will focus on some novel approaches to the management of patients with advanced COPD from the perspective of clinicians involved in end of life care provision and research. By combining the clinical and research skills of pulmonologists and palliative medicine specialists we can advance the care of patients with this progressive and incurable disease.
Rocker
Graeme M
GM
Division of Respirology, QEII Health Sciences Centre and Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. gmrocker@dal.ca
Sinuff
Tasnim
T
Horton
Robert
R
Hernandez
Paul
P
D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000145:classification* / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000628:therapy*; D013727:Terminal Care; D014481:United States