Critical Choices And Critical Care

Critical Choices and Critical Care brings together the traditional reflections on ordinary and extraordinary means with Catholic social thought. It examines the difficult questions on the allocation of high technology resources used in intensive care medicine. The book also provides relevant background information (e.g. statements by the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith). It is accessible to theologians, philosophers, and health care professionals.

We've all been there, sittinguncomfortably in a paper gownas a doctor impassively describesour prognosis. Sometimes it's simple andtreatable. Other times we get news wecan't fathom and then are faced withdecisions that are literally life and death. In this revolutionary book, physician,behavioral scientist, and bioethicist PeterUbel, M.D., reveals how hidden dynamicsin the doctor/patient relationship keepus and our loved ones from making thebest medical choices. From doctors whostruggle to explain, to patients who failto properly listen, countless factors alterthe course of our care, causing things togo seriously awry. With riveting stories of Ubel's own experiencein the field, his groundbreakingresearch, and his personal journey walkingloved ones through difficult treatmentchoices, Critical Decisions will foreverchange the way we communicate insidehospitals and medical offices, wherethoughtful decision making matters themost. Dr. Ubel has been on both endsof the stethoscope, and in this book,he shows how patients and doctorscan learn to become partners and worktogether to make the right choices. Fromchoosing to get surgery, to discussingthe side effects of a blood pressure medication,we can finally discover the toolsto improve communication, understandthe issues, and make confident decisionsfor our future health and happiness.

Have you ever wondered why some people can survive and prosper in the midst of adversity while everyone else around them crumbles? This book is about the principles that heroes have followed for thousands of years to turn tragedy into triumph. You will learn: How Lance Armstrong survived and prospered in the midst of his cancer crisis. Why Pat Tillman, an NFL superstar, gave up his football career to fight and die in Afghanistan. How Todd Beamer, Jeremy Glick and Tom Burnett, Jr. took back the plane after it was hijacked the terrorists of 9/11.

This scenario-based text provides answers to urgent and emergent questions in acute, emergency, and critical care situations focusing on the electrocardiogram in patient care management. The text is arranged in traditional topics areas such as ACS, dysrhythmia, etc yet each chapter is essentially a question with several cases illustrating the clinical dilemma – the chapter itself is a specific answer to the question. This is a unique format among textbooks with an ECG focus. The clinical scenarios cover the issues involved in detecting and managing major cardiovascular conditions. Focused, structured discussion then solves these problems in a clinically relevant, rapid, and easy to read fashion. This novel approach to ECG instruction is ideal for practicing critical care and emergency physicians, specialist nurses, cardiologists, as well as students and trainees with a special interest in the ECG.

Briefly sketches the history of intensive care units, describes actual cases, and discusses the medical, ethical, legal, moral, and economic problems that can arise

Make confident, evidence-based decisions in everyday critical care practice with Critical Care Medicine: An Algorithmic Approach. This first-of-its-kind decision making tool provides concise, practical guidance on key aspects of critical care in the form of easy-to-follow diagnostic and treatment algorithms, diagrams, and tables. The unique format saves you time as it guides you through best practices and reliable data to improve patient outcomes in the ICU. Chapters cover a particular organ system and are organized by disorder for easy reference. Each chapter includes a brief overview of the disorder, diagnostic algorithms, treatment algorithms, potential complications and strategies for overcoming them, and supporting references. Helpful mnemonics and advice from critical care experts are provided throughout. Key topics include ventilatory failure: ARDS, pulmonary embolism, asthma and COPD; ABG analysis; pleural effusion; acute respiratory failure; cardiac critical care; acute kidney injury, water and electrolyte management, acid-base disorders; infectious disease; COVID-19; critical care issues related to other medical specialties; and much more.

Looking for a brief but authoritative resource to help you manage the types of complex cardiac, pulmonary, and neurological emergencies you encounter as a resident or attending emergency room physician? Look no further than Decision Making in Emergency Critical Care: An Evidence-Based Handbook. This portable guide to rational clinical decision-making in the challenging – and changing – world of emergency critical care provides in every chapter a streamlined review of a common problem in critical care medicine, along with evidence-based guidelines and summary tables of landmark literature. Features Prepare for effective critical care practice in the emergency room’s often chaotic and resource-limited environment with expert guidance from fellows and attending physicians in the fields of emergency medicine, pulmonary and critical care medicine, cardiology, gastroenterology, and neurocritical care. Master critical care fundamentals as experts guide you through the initial resuscitation and the continued management of critical care patients during their first 24 hours of intensive care. Confidently make sustained, data-driven decisions for the critically ill patient using expert information on everything from hemodynamic monitoring and critical care ultrasonography to sepsis and septic shock to the ED-ICU transfer of care.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of improving critical care survivorship. Comprised of four sections, the text presents interventions that can be used to improve patient outcomes and reduce the burden of post-intensive care syndrome across the arc of care, from the ICU to returning home. The first section of the text focuses on preventing adverse outcomes in the ICU, with an emphasis on implementing early mobilization, engaging and supporting families, and employing various forms of therapy. The second section revolves around enhancing recovery post-ICU, focusing on physical and neurocognitive rehabilitation programs, peer support, and poly-pharmacy management. Community reintegration is the subject of the third section, with emphasis on socioeconomic reintegration, healthcare utilization, and volunteerism in ICU recovery. The book concludes with a section on future considerations, specifically spotlighting preliminary ideas that address long-term sequelae and international collaboration to solve critical care challenges. Written by experts in the field, Improving Critical Care Survivorship: A Guide for Prevention, Recovery, and Reintegration is a valuable resource for critical care clinicians and researchers interested in improving the quality of patient survival after ICU admission.