Palliative Care in the Intensive Care Unit
The primary goal of intensive care medicine is to attempt to save lives by supporting and normalizing physiology as much as possible during an acute life-threatening illness. Since the inception…
Pediatric Palliative Care
Many of the skills required of general medicine physicians in the day-to-day care of patients are the same as those needed for specialist palliative care. Knowing how to communicate, appreciating…
Pulmonary Palliative Medicine
The symptoms that derive from pulmonary disease processes account for a large percentage of referrals to palliative care practices. Although most of these cases involve malignant lung disease, more than…
Gastrointestinal Malignancies
Gastrointestinal malignancies are the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the world. Before any management decisions are made with this patient population, it is critical to understand the patient’s expected overall…
Principles of Palliative Surgery
The old adage “a chance to cut is a chance to cure” is often used to characterize the primary motivation and attitude of most surgeons. Despite the commendable goal of…
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) encompass an array of distinct illnesses with unique clinical manifestations, management strategies, and disease courses. Three specific diseases have been chosen for this chapter in an effort…
Kidney Failure
A textbook on palliative care would not be complete without a chapter on kidney disease. Palliative care is especially appropriate for patients with kidney disease who are undergoing dialysis because…
Heart Failure and Palliative Care
An 82-year-old woman who had not been to a physician in over 30 years was admitted to the hospital with fatigue and dyspnea. At home, she had been bedbound for…
