Managing Death in the Intensive Care Unit: The Transition from Cure to Comfort

by J. Randall Curtis (Editor)

This volume reviews the state of the art in caring for patients dying in the ICU, focusing on both clinical aspects of managing pain and other symptoms, as well as ethical and societal issues that affect the standards of care received. The book also addresses the changing epidemiology of death in this setting related to managed care, practical skills needed to provide the highest quality of care to terminal patients, communicating with patients and families, the mechanics of withdrawing life-supporting therapies, and the essential role of palliative care specialists in the ICU. The book briefly describes unique issues that arise when caring for patients with some of the more common diseases that precipitate death in the ICU. Contributors for the book were chosen because they have experience caring for patients in the ICU and are also conducting current research to find ways of improving care for terminal patients in this setting.

408 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great overview of palliative care in the ICU. It discusses many topics that my medical education has minimally addressed--how we as practitioners meet people in their spiritual journeys through our work, how we address cultural needs and barriers to effective communication and good medical care, and the need to constantly hold our feet to the fire about how our biases influence the choices we offer, our availability for care, and the medical care we provide.