Table 1.
Characteristics of Patients According to Palliative Care and Hospice Referrals
| Characteristic | Overall (N = 397) | No PC (N = 336) | PC (N = 61) | p | No hospice (N = 326) | Hospice (N = 71) | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years, mean (SD) | 56.8 (9.8) | 56.2 (9.8) | 60.1 (9.7) | 0.005 | 56.0 (9.9) | 60.4 (8.5) | 0.001 |
| Males, % | 62.5 | 61.9 | 65.6 | 0.59 | 62.3 | 63.4 | 0.86 |
| Caucasian race, % | 90.5 | 90.6 | 90.0 | 0.88 | 91.6 | 85.7 | 0.13 |
| Married, % | 53.7 | 56.9 | 36.1 | 0.003 | 55.3 | 46.5 | 0.18 |
| Lives alone, % | 40.3 | 38.3 | 50.8 | 0.07 | 39.8 | 42.3 | 0.70 |
| Alcohol use within 6 months, % | 18.6 | 19.0 | 16.4 | 0.63 | 18.3 | 19.7 | 0.78 |
| Substance use within 6 months, % | 4.8 | 4.5 | 6.6 | 0.51 | 4.6 | 5.6 | 0.76 |
| Psychiatric comorbidity, % | 17.4 | 17.8 | 15.3 | 0.64 | 19.6 | 7.2 | 0.01 |
| Acute kidney injury, % | 46.9 | 42.9 | 68.9 | <0.001 | 44.8 | 56.3 | 0.08 |
| Charlson comorbidity index, mean (SD) | 3.4 (2.5) | 3.3 (2.4) | 4.1 (2.5) | 0.01 | 3.2 (2.3) | 4.6 (2.6) | <0.001 |
| Insurance, % | 0.53 | 0.91 | |||||
| Medicare | 40.3 | 39.9 | 42.6 | 39.6 | 43.7 | ||
| Medicaid | 16.6 | 15.8 | 21.3 | 16.6 | 16.9 | ||
| Private | 35.0 | 36.3 | 27.9 | 35.6 | 32.4 | ||
| Uninsured | 8.1 | 8.0 | 8.2 | 8.3 | 7.0 | ||
| Body mass index, kg/m2, mean (SD) | 30.3 (7.2) | 30.2 (7.2) | 30.7 (7.4) | 0.65 | 30.6 (7.2) | 28.8 (7.1) | 0.09 |
| Liver disease etiology, % | 0.48 | 0.45 | |||||
| Alcohol | 20.9 | 19.6 | 27.9 | 19.9 | 25.4 | ||
| Viral | 24.4 | 25.3 | 19.7 | 23.3 | 29.6 | ||
| Alcohol+Viral | 15.9 | 16.4 | 13.1 | 16.3 | 14.1 | ||
| NASH/cryptogenic | 25.7 | 26.2 | 23.0 | 26.4 | 22.5 | ||
| Other | 13.1 | 12.5 | 16.4 | 14.1 | 8.5 | ||
| Ascites, % | 87.9 | 86.0 | 98.4 | 0.006 | 86.5 | 94.4 | 0.06 |
| Hepatic hydrothorax, % | 15.6 | 15.8 | 14.8 | 0.84 | 15.6 | 15.5 | 0.98 |
| Hepatic encephalopathy, % | 71.7 | 70.1 | 80.3 | 0.10 | 72.0 | 70.4 | 0.79 |
| Portal vein thrombosis, % | 10.1 | 10.4 | 8.3 | 0.62 | 7.7 | 21.4 | 0.001 |
| Hepatocellular carcinoma, % | 15.9 | 15.2 | 19.7 | 0.38 | 12.0 | 33.8 | <0.001 |
| Outside Milan criteria | 43.4 | 40.5 | 54.5 | 0.50 | 27.6 | 62.5 | 0.01 |
| MELD-Na, mean (SD) | 22.8 (7.9) | 22.2 (7.9) | 26.3 (6.9) | <0.001 | 22.5 (8.0) | 24.3 (7.3) | 0.08 |
| Child–Pugh score, mean (SD) | 10.6 (2.0) | 10.4 (2.0) | 11.5 (1.9) | <0.001 | 10.4 (2.0) | 11.2 (2.0) | 0.006 |
| Child–Pugh class, % | 0.007 | 0.07 | |||||
| A | 3.4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4.2 | 0 | ||
| B | 23.8 | 26.2 | 11.5 | 25.2 | 17.4 | ||
| C | 72.8 | 69.8 | 88.5 | 70.6 | 82.6 | ||
| Transplant status, % | 0.02 | <0.001 | |||||
| Not evaluated | 38.3 | 36.9 | 45.9 | 37.1 | 43.7 | ||
| Evaluated, but not listed | 44.8 | 44.0 | 49.2 | 42.9 | 53.5 | ||
| Listed | 16.9 | 19.0 | 4.9 | 19.9 | 2.8 |
MELD, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease; PC, palliative care; SD, standard deviation.