End-of-life issues in cardiology are becoming increasingly important in the management of patients in the cardiac unit, but there is frequently a lack of understanding regarding their impact on cardiology practice. The cardiac unit is increasingly becoming the location whereby a number of key clinical decisions relating to end-of-life care are being made, such as the decision to remove medications, the appropriate removal of cardiac devices, the management of do not resuscitate orders and the requirement for other cardiac procedures in light of the management of the terminally ill cardiac patients. Those working in palliative care need input from the cardiovascular team as the cardiologist is frequently still managing these patients until they are moved to the hospice. That this move into a hospice is often delayed until the very last moment, there is considerable onus on the cardiovascular management of these patients to be much broader in scope and take account of some of the more palliative medical decisions needed in this group of patients. This concise reference will detail the practical issues open to cardiovascular physicians and those medical professionals who manage patients reaching the end of their life from a cardiology perspective. It will detail the full management options open to them to ensure that their practice is in line with the requirements of the patient nearing the end of their life whether the cause be cardiovascular in origin or who need appropriate management of secondary cardiovascular symptoms. It will also include the various ethical, cultural and geographical issues that need to be considered when managing these patients.

End-of-life issues in cardiology are becoming increasingly important in the management of patients in the cardiac unit, but there is frequently a lack of understanding regarding their impact on cardiology practice. The cardiac unit is increasingly becoming the location whereby a number of key clinical decisions relating to end-of-life care are being made, such as the decision to remove medications, the appropriate removal of cardiac devices, the management of do not resuscitate orders and the requirement for other cardiac procedures in light of the management of the terminally ill cardiac patients. Those working in palliative care need input from the cardiovascular team as the cardiologist is frequently still managing these patients until they are moved to the hospice. That this move into a hospice is often delayed until the very last moment, there is considerable onus on the cardiovascular management of these patients to be much broader in scope and take account of some of the more palliative medical decisions needed in this group of patients. This concise reference will detail the practical issues open to cardiovascular physicians and those medical professionals who manage patients reaching the end of their life from a cardiology perspective. It will detail the full management options open to them to ensure that their practice is in line with the requirements of the patient nearing the end of their life whether the cause be cardiovascular in origin or who need appropriate management of secondary cardiovascular symptoms. It will also include the various ethical, cultural and geographical issues that need to be considered when managing these patients.

Excellent end of life care for people with heart failure is challenging but possible. In easily digestible summaries, this book presents practical advice about how and when to integrate a palliative care approach alongside standard heart failure management.

This book analyzes the main topics of Palliative Care in Cardiac Intensive Care Units (CICU), from the changing epidemiology of patients admitted to the ICU, to the main clinical and ethical issues. The changing epidemiology of patients has led to new and emerging patient needs at the end of life. Care has shifted from acute coronary syndrome patients towards elderly patients, with a high prevalence of non-ischemic cardiovascular diseases and a high burden of non-cardiovascular comorbid conditions: both increase the susceptibility of patients to developing life-threatening critical conditions. These conditions are associated with a significant symptom burden, high mortality rate, and increased length of stay. The main new challenges involve shared decision-making, symptom control (pain, dyspnea, etc.), and ethical issues (withholding/withdrawing life sustaining treatments, deactivation of implanted cardiac devices, palliative sedation), all of which necessitate formal education on end-of-life care. Written by opinion leaders in their respective fields, who share their experience with improving the cultural and clinical competence of medical/nursing teams, this volume is chiefly intended for cardiologists, anesthesiologists, palliative care doctors and nursing staff.

Heart failure is a very common terminal condition but few patients receive proper palliative care. This text is full of practical, evidence based advice, and encourages a multidisciplinary team based approrach.

This comprehensive yet concise book addresses current best practice in the combined areas of cardiac surgery and anesthesia, interventional minimally invasive cardiac procedures, perioperative management and monitoring, and critical care recovery. This book not only provides the latest best practices in the perioperative management of cardiac surgical patients, but also it summarizes the current clinical guidelines and algorithms from leading cardiac programs and professional societies. Contemporary best practice approaches are written by experts from leading cardiac surgical centers. The preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative management and recovery of surgical patients, including medication, monitoring techniques, and innovative surgical procedures, are presented by experts in the field of cardiac anesthesia and surgery. Perioperative clinical care guidelines, postoperative recovery pathways and models of care are presented with supporting protocols. Evidence-Based Practice in Perioperative Cardiac Anesthesia and Surgery is aimed at all cardiac anesthesiology consultants, fellows, and trainees; all cardiac surgery consultants, fellows, and trainees; nurses in perioperative care and those involved in patient recovery management; cardiac program administrative professionals; and all critical care consultants and trainees looking after cardiovascular surgical patients in the modern era.