Table 4.
Characteristics of Patients Who Died According to Palliative Care and Hospice Referrals
| Characteristic | Overall (N = 200) | No PC (N = 143) | PC (N = 57) | p | No hospice (N = 134) | Hospice (N = 66) | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years, mean (SD) | 57.1 (9.8) | 55.9 (9.5) | 60.1 (9.9) | 0.006 | 55.2 (9.8) | 60.8 (8.6) | <0.001 |
| Males, % | 64.5 | 63.6 | 66.7 | 0.69 | 64.2 | 65.2 | 0.89 |
| Caucasian race, % | 89.2 | 89.2 | 89.3 | 0.99 | 90.8 | 86.2 | 0.33 |
| Married, % | 50.3 | 55.6 | 36.8 | 0.02 | 51.1 | 48.5 | 0.73 |
| Lives alone, % | 40.9 | 36.9 | 50.9 | 0.07 | 41.7 | 39.4 | 0.76 |
| Alcohol use within 6 months, % | 20.7 | 22.0 | 17.5 | 0.49 | 21.2 | 19.7 | 0.80 |
| Substance use within 6 months, % | 6.1 | 5.7 | 7.0 | 0.75 | 6.8 | 4.5 | 0.75 |
| Psychiatric comorbidity, % | 16.1 | 16.7 | 14.5 | 0.72 | 20.9 | 6.3 | 0.009 |
| Acute kidney injury, % | 63.0 | 60.1 | 70.2 | 0.19 | 64.9 | 59.1 | 0.42 |
| Charlson comorbidity index, mean (SD) | 3.8 (2.7) | 3.6 (2.7) | 4.1 (2.5) | 0.27 | 3.3 (2.5) | 4.7 (2.7) | <0.001 |
| Insurance, % | 0.88 | 0.36 | |||||
| Medicare | 37.5 | 37.1 | 38.6 | 34.3 | 43.9 | ||
| Medicaid | 20.0 | 18.9 | 22.8 | 22.4 | 15.2 | ||
| Private | 33.5 | 35.0 | 29.8 | 32.8 | 34.8 | ||
| Uninsured | 9.0 | 9.1 | 8.8 | 10.4 | 6.1 | ||
| Body mass index, kg/m2, mean (SD) | 30.0 (7.1) | 29.8 (7.0) | 30.7 (7.4) | 0.43 | 30.6 (7.0) | 28.8 (7.3) | 0.12 |
| Liver disease etiology, % | 0.26 | 0.88 | |||||
| Alcohol | 24.0 | 21.7 | 29.8 | 22.4 | 27.3 | ||
| Viral | 27.5 | 30.1 | 21.1 | 26.9 | 28.8 | ||
| Alcohol+Viral | 18.0 | 19.6 | 14.0 | 19.4 | 15.2 | ||
| NASH/cryptogenic | 21.5 | 21.7 | 21.1 | 21.6 | 21.2 | ||
| Other | 9.0 | 7.0 | 14.0 | 9.7 | 7.6 | ||
| Ascites, % | 94.0 | 92.3 | 98.2 | 0.19 | 94.0 | 93.9 | 0.99 |
| Hepatic hydrothorax, % | 14.5 | 14.7 | 14.0 | 0.91 | 14.2 | 15.2 | 0.85 |
| Hepatic encephalopathy, % | 75.5 | 74.1 | 78.9 | 0.47 | 77.6 | 71.2 | 0.32 |
| Portal vein thrombosis, % | 12.1 | 13.3 | 8.9 | 0.40 | 6.7 | 23.1 | 0.001 |
| Hepatocellular carcinoma, % | 20.0 | 19.6 | 21.1 | 0.81 | 12.7 | 34.8 | <0.001 |
| Outside Milan criteria | 60.0 | 62.5 | 54.5 | 0.72 | 50.0 | 65.2 | 0.48 |
| MELD-Na, mean (SD) | 25.9 (7.3) | 25.6 (7.5) | 26.6 (6.8) | 0.34 | 26.3 (7.3) | 24.9 (7.2) | 0.21 |
| Child–Pugh score, mean (SD) | 11.2 (1.9) | 11.1 (1.8) | 11.5 (2.0) | 0.15 | 11.3 (1.8) | 11.2 (2.0) | 0.90 |
| Child–Pugh class, % | 0.36 | 0.75 | |||||
| A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| B | 16.0 | 17.5 | 12.3 | 15.4 | 17.2 | ||
| C | 84.0 | 82.5 | 87.7 | 84.6 | 82.8 | ||
| Transplant status, % | 0.80 | 0.78 | |||||
| Not evaluated | 43.5 | 42.7 | 45.6 | 42.5 | 45.5 | ||
| Evaluated, but not listed | 53.5 | 54.5 | 50.9 | 53.7 | 53.0 | ||
| Listed | 3.0 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 1.5 |