Advance Directive Utilization Is Associated with Less Aggressive End-of-Life Care in Patients Undergoing Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, making advance care planning (ACP) and management especially important in this patient population. A paucity of data exists on the utilization of ACP among allogeneic HCT recipients and the relationship between ACP and intensity of healthcare utilization in these patients. We performed a retrospective review of patients receiving allogeneic HCT at our institution from 2008 to 2015 who had subsequently died after HCT. Documentation and timing of advance directive (AD) completion were abstracted from the electronic medical record. Outcomes of interest included use of intensive care unit (ICU) level of care at any time point after HCT, within 30 days of death, and within 14 days of death; use of mechanical ventilation at any time after HCT; and location of death. Univariate logistic regression was performed to explore associations between AD completion and each outcome. Of the 1031 patients who received allogeneic HCT during the study period, 422 decedents (41%) were included in the analysis. Forty-four percent had AD documentation prior to death. Most patients (69%) indicated that if terminally ill, they did not wish to be subjected to life-prolonging treatment attempts. Race/ethnicity was significantly associated with AD documentation, with non-Hispanic white patients documenting ADs more frequently (51%) compared with Hispanic (22%) or Asian patients (35%; P = .0007). Patients with ADs were less likely to use the ICU during the transplant course (41% for patients with ADs versus 52% of patients without ADs; P = .03) and also were less likely to receive mechanical ventilation at any point after transplantation (21% versus 37%, P < .001). AD documentation was also associated with decreased ICU use at the end of life; relative to patients without ADs, patients with ADs were more likely to die at home or in hospital as opposed to in the ICU (odds ratio, .44; 95% confidence interval, .27 to .72). ACP remains underused in allogeneic HCT. Adoption of a systematic practice to standardize AD documentation as part of allogeneic HCT planning has the potential to significantly reduce ICU use and mechanical ventilation while improving quality of care at end of life in HCT recipients.