Palliative Care in Cardiac Intensive Care Units

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.

Massimo Romanò has been a Cardiologist in the Italian National Health System for 40 years. A past Head of Cardiac Electrophysiology at Garbagnate Milanese Hospital, Italy and past Head of the Cardiology Division at Vigevano Hospital, Italy, he has also been a Consultant at the Interdepartmental Center of Research on Palliative Care, University of Milan and a Member of the Organizing Committee for the 2nd Level Master in Palliative Care at the University of Milan. Since the early 2000s he has developed a particular interest in advanced heart failure and in end-of-life issues. He was involved in a drafting an Italian position paper on shared care planning for end stage chronic organ failures. He has also published papers on palliative care issues in cardiac intensive care units, and on the deactivation of implanted cardiac devices at the end of life.