Heart Disease In The Elderly

A panel of clinicians, researchers, and leaders in the field review and discuss the latest findings on the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of cardiovascular disease in the older patient. The authors explain the physiological changes associated with the normal aging process that may lead to the development of disease, to adverse consequences once disease develops, and which alter the risk-benefit equation for medical and other interventions designed to diagnose, assess, and treat cardiovascular disease. The focus is on particularly common syndromes in the elderly, including cardiac failure with normal ejection fraction, isolated systolic hypertension, and atrial fibrillation. Wherever possible, the authors take an evidence-based approach to recommendations and rely heavily on prospective clinical trials.

The population is aging, and most cardiovascular diseases are more common in older people. Older people often present atypically, have multiple co-morbidities, and are vulnerable to therapeutic delays or errors. The healthcare needs of the elderly differ from those of younger patients and are more complex, related to the physical and psychological changes associated with ageing and other disease processes in the elderly population. In addition, the response to treatment may alter with ageing, yet many elderly patients with cardiovascular disease are not looked after by specialists. Cardiovascular Disease in the Elderly provides user-friendly advice in a field that has limited evidence but contributes significantly to the workload not only of cardiologists but also of elderly care physicians and general practitioners. It reflects current UK and international guidelines and provides key evidence based references. Wherever possible, published guidelines are incorporated to ensure the book reflects current recommended management. It indicates where practice differs from that of younger adults, and provides guidance on the ethical and clinical dilemmas particular to the elderly. The handbook covers many aspects of cardiovascular disease in the elderly and focuses on common problems, including heart failure, atrial fibrillation and isolated systolic hypertension.

Reviews the best therapies and surgical techniques available to provide quality care for the elderly cardiac patient and of those areas that require further research. The authors detail preventive therapies and the cardiovascular syndromes that disproportionately afflict the older individual, including arrhythmias (particularly atrial fibrillation), syncope, heart failure (particularly diastolic heart failure), and ischemic heart disease. They also delineate the surgical management of the heart patient with discussions of postoperative management and its complications and of specific surgical procedures such as coronary artery bypass grafting, valve surgery, pacemaker and defibibrillators, and surgical management of heart failure.

Certain to become the most trusted source in geriatric cardiology, this Third Edition compiles the latest studies and expertise on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and management of cardiovascular disease in the elderly patient, tracking the rapid pace of innovation in the field with in-depth explorations of the most recent clinical trials and advances in vascular biology, cardiology, and cardiovascular surgery for influential developments in disease prevention and management.

With advances and breakthroughs in modern medicine that are allowing people to live longer, the number of older adults will continue to grow exponentially over the next several decades. Cardiologists, geriatricians, and other clinicians caring for the elderly will require—at the very least—a basic understanding of cardiovascular disorders that commonly affect the older patient. In the fifth edition of Tresch and Aronow's Cardiovascular Disease in the Elderly, each chapter has been thoroughly updated to provide a comprehensive, yet accessible overview of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, evaluation, and treatment of cardiovascular disorders in older adults. The book spans topics such as aging changes in the cardiovascular system, risk factors and epidemiology for coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, cardiomyopathies and heart failure, arrhythmias, cerebrovascular disease, and other miscellaneous subjects. The contributors supply evidence-based recommendations with strong emphasis on new research findings. New to the Fifth Edition: Numerous chapters comprehensively revised with new authors and/or co-authors Summaries at the beginning of each chapter to facilitate easy reading Discussion of the use of new antithrombotic agents in older adults Important references in the bibliography highlighted for simplified access With contributions from recognized experts in the field, this classic work continues to serve as the premier source on the evaluation and management of cardiovascular disorders in older adults.

With an exponential growth in the number of older adults, understanding the common disorders of the elderly patient requiring cardiac care is becoming increasingly important. Incorporating recent advances in the field, Tresch and Aronow's Cardiovascular Disease in the Elderly 6th Edition has been completely revised and updated to provide cardiologists, primary care physicians, geriatricians and other clinicians caring for the elderly a comprehensive and accessible overview of the epidemiology, pathophysiology and treatment of cardiovascular disorders in older patients.

CARLO CONTI You are today confronting sensitive questions on the subject of "Cardiac surgery and heart diseases in old age" and I congratulate you on this. It is a brave and important step to discuss this multifaceted question which demands an answer and an explanation from many perspectives: From a medical perspective, there is the question of the medical feasibility and durability of treatment. From an economic angle we ask ourselves whether we can pay for everything that is medically feasible. From the patient's perspective there is the legitimate de sire and the justified need not to leave anything untried that might serve to sustain or improve the quality of life. The ethical perspective: is what is feasible really desirable? Should everything be done simply because it can be done? Is it ethically acceptable to set an age limit on an opera tion that in all probability will produce an improvement in the quality of life? And if so, where does this limit lie? Below it surgery is "worthwhile" but above it is not? No one in all seriousness and with a clean conscience will want to draw this line randomly or arbitrarily. That ap pears to us - quite rightly - morally unacceptable. The doctors' perspective: they are obliged by the Hippo cratic oath in principle to carry out all the treatments that are indicated and comply with the rules of the art of med ICIne.