ABSTRACT
Background The human experience involves the inevitable end of life, whether sudden or expected. Ensuring a dignified end-of-life encounter necessitates understanding influential factors. Cardiomyopathy, a group of heart muscle diseases, has varying mortality implications, including heart failure and arrhythmias. Disparities in place of death (hospital, home, or hospice) can significantly alter the end-of-life care for a patient. Methods The aim of this study is to identify variations in death locations for U.S. cardiomyopathy patients between 1999 and 2020, based on age, gender, race, and census region, utilizing the CDC WONDER ( CDC Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research) database, which contains a wide array of public health information. Data were categorized by age, gender, race, and location, and further subcategorized according to place of death. Statistical analysis was done via R programming software. Result The aggregate data of 528,401 cardiomyopathy-related deaths from 1990 to 2020 were obtained. Findings revealed age, gender, and regional disparities in death location. Notably, cardiomyopathy is found to be prevalent in the 75+ years age group, male gender, and people belonging to Caucasian descent, and maximal in the Southern census area. The study's logistic regression analysis unveiled a significant association between demographic factors and death locations. Conclusion This research underscores the significance of understanding disparities in the place of death for cardiomyopathy patients, shedding light on demographic influences and paving the way for patient-centered end-of-life care approaches.
ABSTRACT
This narrative review investigates the severe health issue of arrhythmias, which affects millions of people worldwide. A multifaceted strategy incorporating medicine, catheter ablation, and advanced device interventions is necessary to manage these disorders effectively. Medication is the cornerstone, and as antiarrhythmic medications develop, their efficacy and side effects are reduced. Success depends on having individualized treatment strategies that consider patient profiles and arrhythmia type. Catheter ablation, a minimally invasive surgery that targets and removes faulty heart electrical circuits, has become a potent therapy when drugs are ineffective. Technological developments, including high-resolution mapping systems and customized catheters, improve precision. Pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are two examples of implantable cardiac devices essential to managing all types of arrhythmias. Pacemakers provide a regular heartbeat when the body's natural pacing mechanism fails. At the same time, ICDs, with cutting-edge algorithms, can identify and stop life-threatening arrhythmias and offer high-risk patients vital protection. As device technology advances, smaller, more durable devices become available, improving patient comfort and lowering the need for replacements. The seamless fusion of these three strategies is where holistic arrhythmia management shines. Even for difficult instances, customized combination therapy combining medicine, ablation, and device interventions offers complete solutions. Healthcare providers must collaborate for this integrated strategy to deliver personalized, efficient, and holistic care. In conclusion, the management of arrhythmias has developed into a dynamic, synergistic discipline where drugs, catheter ablation, and devices all work in concert to deliver comprehensive care. For those with arrhythmias, a patient-centered strategy that considers their particular patient features and best integrates different modalities can significantly enhance their quality of life. The effectiveness and accessibility of holistic arrhythmia management could be further improved because of ongoing developments in these fields, which is encouraging for patients and medical professionals.
