Springer End-of-Life Care in Cardiovascular Disease

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. Review “The chapters in this much-needed book are written as standalone articles on topics related to end-of-life care in adult and pediatric cardiac and vascular disease. … There has long been a need for a book like this, and this effort is greatly appreciated. … This is a terrific and important start to a growing base of literature about palliative care in cardiovascular disease. The book provides a nice overview and addresses current clinical issues such as mechanical circulatory support.” (Megan Laila Morrison, Doody’s Book Reviews, December, 2015) From the Back Cover Cardiovascular (CV) disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. While death rates from many acute CV illnesses have declined in developing countries, a substantial proportion of individuals with CV disease ultimately die from CV causes. As the population ages, the global burden of CV disease will continue to rise. Until recently, the focus of clinicians has been on saving lives and deferring death. Over the past decade there has  been growing recognition of the importance of palliative care and end of life care in CV disease.   While palliative and supportive care should be provided throughout the course of serious and life-shortening illnesses, this book focuses on issues that clinicians encounter in end-of-life care.  This book provides guidance to clinicians working across the breadth of care settings, in chronic progressive disease as well as sudden arrhythmic death andwith  advanced technologies. End-of-Life Care in Cardiovascular Disease is designed to assist clinicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers in addressing end of life care for patients with CV disease in a variety of common clinical scenarios.  Each chapter is written by expert clinicians and researchers, and concisely reviews current knowledge and recommendations for providing patient- and family-centered end-of-life care.