Palliative Surgery

Surgical Palliative Care describes the principles and practice of surgery in the context of palliative and supportive care. Surgery is often considered too invasive to be useful in palliation and clinicians instinctively turn to radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and other drugs. Surgery, withincreasingly minimal access techniques, may be simpler and less invasive than other treatments and produces excellent palliation. Indeed, most types of surgery are not curative and the aim of this book is to alert all concerned with palliative care to the usefulness and appropriateness of a surgicaloption. The text is divided into two sections; the first dealing with general issues, varying from quality of life measurement to spirituality, and the second illustrating their application in different specialties of surgery ranging from neurosurgery to urology. The book ends with a challenge to surgeonsto change their perspective from curative surgery, in terms of simply cure or failure, to improvement in quality of life and relief of symptoms. Aimed primarily at palliative medicine and pain consultants, this book will also appeal to surgeons who increasingly need to know more about palliativecare.

Palliative surgery can greatly contribute to improving symptom control and quality of life for terminal cancer patients. Owing to the advanced stage of the disease, however, this type of surgery is also associated with significant morbidity and mortality. It is therefore important for surgeons to have a sound understanding of the medical and scientific background underlying treatment decisions in palliative surgery, a foundation that this book provides. The opening chapters examine the relationship between palliative medicine and palliative surgery and address general issues including pain management and anesthesiological considerations. The role of palliative surgery in a wide range of disease settings is then thoroughly explored, including detailed information on surgical techniques and their indications and outcomes. This book will be an invaluable resource for all who wish to learn more about the emerging role of palliative surgery.

This issue of Surgical Clinics of North America focuses on Practicing Primary Palliative Care and is edited by Dr. Pringl Miller. Articles will include: Advantages of a Multidisciplinary Team Approach to Surgical Care; Concurrent Palliative Care has Clinical Outcome Benefits; Goals of Care Discussions - Understanding the Outcomes that Matter Most; Prognostic Tools and Shared Decision Making; Peri-Operative Advance Directives - DNR in the OR; Optimizing Pain Control During the Opioid Epidemic; Wound and Stoma Care - Less is More; Image-Guided Palliative Interventions; Palliative Care and the Pregnant Surgical Patient; Tracheostomies, PEGs, and Hemodialysis Vascular Access - When Are They Really Indicated?; Post-Operative Recovery & Survivorship after Acute Hospitalization for Serious Life Limiting Illness; Spiritual Dimensions of Surgical Palliative Care; Transitioning to Comfort-Focused Care at the End-of-Life; Mitigating Burnout; Surgical Palliative Care Education; and more!

Palliative care has become increasingly important across the spectrum of healthcare, and with it, the need for education and training of a broad range of medical practitioners not previously associated with this field of care. Part of the Integrating Palliative Care series, this volume on surgical palliative care guides readers through the core palliative skills and knowledge needed to deliver high value care for patients with life-limiting, critical, and terminal illness under surgical care. Chapters explore the historical, philosophical, and spiritual principles of surgical palliative care, and follow the progression of the seriously ill surgical patient's journey from the pre-operative encounter, to the invasive procedure, to the post-operative setting, and on to survivorship. An overview of the future of surgical palliative care education and research rounds out the text. Surgical Palliative Care is an ideal resource for surgeons, surgical nurses, intensivists, and other practitioners who wish to learn more about integrating palliative care into the surgical field.

This issue of Anesthesiology Clinics brings the reader up to date on the most important advances in surgical palliative care for anesthesiology intensivists. Topics covered include recent trends and developments, palliative care of patients on high doses of narcotics, trauma in the surgical ICU, care of family in the surgical ICU, communication skills in palliative surgery, surgical palliative care in Haiti, and much more.

This issue of Surgical Oncology Clinics, guest edited by Dr. Bridget N. Fahy, is devoted to Palliative Care in Surgical Oncology. Dr. Fahy has assembled expert authors to review the following topics: Current guidelines for integration of palliative care in oncology; Management of malignant bowel obstruction; Management of peritoneal carcinomatosis & malignant ascites; Artificial nutrition in patients with advanced malignancy; Selecting patients for palliative procedures in oncology; Palliative radiotherapy: Indications and outcomes; Ethical considerations for caring for patients with advanced cancer; Evaluation and management of malignant biliary obstruction; Systemic anti-cancer treatments for advanced cancer patients: What a surgical oncologist needs to know; Role of palliative medicine training in surgical oncology; Navigating difficult conversations: Breaking bad news and exploring goals of care in surgical patients; Strategies for optimizing perioperative pain management for the cancer patient; and more!

Guest Editor Geoff Dunn presents a comprehensive look at surgical palliative care. Topics will include In-Patient Palliative Care Consultation and Surgery, Palliative Care in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Surgical Intensive Care and Bereavement, Palliative Surgical Oncology, The Palliative Surgery Discussion, Palliative Interventional Radiology, Palliative Care and Pediatric Surgery, Palliative Urology, Spiritual Dimensions of Surgical Palliative Care, Surgeons and Introspection, and much more!

This issue of Anesthesiology Clinics brings the reader up to date on the most important advances in surgical palliative care for anesthesiology intensivists. Topics covered include recent trends and developments, palliative care of patients on high doses of narcotics, trauma in the surgical ICU, care of family in the surgical ICU, communication skills in palliative surgery, surgical palliative care in Haiti, and much more.