8 hours Ago By Kjersti Maday
FARGO — Sanford Health is launching a new collaboration between its cardiology and palliative medicine teams to help patients with heart failure manage symptoms and maintain a better quality of life. The goal of the initiative is to support patients for as long as possible before they transition to hospice care. Heart failure patients often experience symptoms such as shortness of breath, anxiety and fatigue.
Once diagnosed, the disease is too advanced to be cured, but palliative care can help guide patients in making informed decisions about their next steps. "We can focus on their symptoms, that they have a good quality of life, and we also do a lot with helping people with their advanced care planning," said Tonia Lofgren, a palliative care nurse practitioner at Sanford Health. "When they're faced with life-limiting illnesses, we always want to honor what is most important to the patient.
" According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 6.7 million adults in the U.S.
have heart failure..
