Table 5.
Characteristics of Patients Who Died within One Week of Palliative Care or Hospice Referral
| Characteristic | PC referral >1 week before death (N = 17) | Late PC referral (N = 37) | p | Hospice referral >1 week before death (N = 22) | Late hospice referral (N = 37) | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years, mean (SD) | 64.1 (10.1) | 58.6 (9.7) | 0.06 | 64.8 (8.2) | 59.1 (8.8) | 0.02 |
| Males, % | 76.5 | 62.2 | 0.30 | 77.3 | 56.8 | 0.11 |
| Caucasian race, % | 82.4 | 91.7 | 0.37 | 85.7 | 83.8 | 0.99 |
| Married, % | 17.6 | 48.6 | 0.03 | 54.5 | 45.9 | 0.52 |
| Lives alone, % | 47.1 | 48.6 | 0.91 | 31.8 | 43.2 | 0.38 |
| Alcohol use within 6 months, % | 17.6 | 16.2 | 0.99 | 4.5 | 27.0 | 0.04 |
| Substance use within 6 months, % | 0 | 10.8 | 0.30 | 4.5 | 5.4 | 0.99 |
| Psychiatric comorbidity, % | 11.8 | 17.1 | 0.99 | 4.5 | 8.6 | 0.99 |
| Acute kidney injury, % | 70.6 | 73.0 | 0.99 | 54.5 | 59.5 | 0.71 |
| Charlson comorbidity index, mean (SD) | 4.8 (2.6) | 3.9 (2.6) | 0.27 | 5.5 (2.0) | 4.6 (3.1) | 0.25 |
| Insurance, % | 0.31 | 0.16 | ||||
| Medicare | 52.9 | 32.4 | 54.5 | 40.5 | ||
| Medicaid | 11.8 | 27.0 | 4.5 | 21.6 | ||
| Private | 23.5 | 35.1 | 40.9 | 29.7 | ||
| Uninsured | 11.8 | 5.4 | 0 | 8.1 | ||
| Body mass index, kg/m2, mean (SD) | 27.5 (6.4) | 32.1 (7.7) | 0.07 | 30.6 (9.3) | 27.7 (5.9) | 0.19 |
| Liver disease etiology, % | 0.95 | 0.71 | ||||
| Alcohol | 35.3 | 29.7 | 27.3 | 29.7 | ||
| Viral | 17.6 | 21.6 | 22.7 | 29.7 | ||
| Alcohol+Viral | 11.8 | 13.5 | 9.1 | 16.2 | ||
| NASH/cryptogenic | 17.6 | 24.3 | 27.3 | 18.9 | ||
| Other | 17.6 | 10.8 | 13.6 | 5.4 | ||
| Ascites, % | 100 | 97.3 | 0.99 | 95.5 | 94.6 | 0.99 |
| Hepatic hydrothorax, % | 17.6 | 10.8 | 0.67 | 18.2 | 13.5 | 0.72 |
| Hepatic encephalopathy, % | 70.6 | 83.8 | 0.29 | 68.2 | 73.0 | 0.69 |
| Portal vein thrombosis, % | 17.6 | 5.6 | 0.31 | 36.4 | 13.9 | 0.06 |
| Hepatocellular carcinoma, % | 23.5 | 21.6 | 0.99 | 40.9 | 29.7 | 0.38 |
| Outside Milan criteria | 100 | 25.0 | 0.06 | 44.4 | 36.4 | 0.99 |
| MELD-Na, mean (SD) | 27.4 (8.1) | 26.7 (6.4) | 0.74 | 24.7 (7.9) | 25.4 (7.4) | 0.74 |
| Child–Pugh score, mean (SD) | 11.4 (2.0) | 11.7 (2.0) | 0.56 | 11.4 (1.8) | 11.1 (2.2) | 0.67 |
| Child–Pugh class, % | 0.99 | 0.30 | ||||
| A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| B | 11.8 | 13.5 | 9.5 | 22.2 | ||
| C | 88.2 | 86.5 | 90.5 | 77.8 | ||
| Transplant status, % | 0.60 | 0.74 | ||||
| Not evaluated | 52.9 | 40.5 | 40.9 | 48.6 | ||
| Evaluated, but not listed | 47.1 | 54.1 | 59.1 | 48.6 | ||
| Listed | 0 | 5.4 | 0 | 2.7 |