Managing Death in the ICU The Transition from Cure to Comfort

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 recieved, 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 preciptate death in the ICU. Contributors for the book were chosed because they have experience caring for patients in the ICU, and are also doing current research to find ways to improve care for terminal patients in this setting.

Section. Part 1: The Changing Landscape of Death in the ICU. 1: J. Randall Curtis and Gordon D. Rubenfeld: Introducint the Concept of Managing Death in the ICU, 2: Richard A. Mularski and Molly L. Osborne: The Changing Ethics of Death in the ICU, 3: John M. Luce and thomas J. Predergast: The Changing Nature of Death in the ICU, 4: Mitchell M. Levy: Making a Personal Relatinship with Death, Section. Part 2: The Decision to Limit Life Support in the ICU. 5: Marin H. Kollef: Outcome Pretiction in the ICU, 6: Deborah J. Cook: Decision-Making and the Role of Bias, 7: J. Randall Curtis and Donld L. Patrick: The Role of Health Status and Quality of Life in decisions about ICU Care, 8: Joan M. Teno: Advance Care Planning in the Outpatient and ICU Setting, Section. Part 3: Practical Skills Needed to Manage Death in the ICU. 9: J. Randall Curtis and Donald L. Patrick: How to Discuss Dying and Death in the ICU, 10: Kathleen Foley: Managnig Pain and other Symptoms in Dying Patients in the ICU, 11: Gordon D. Rubenfeld: Principles and Practice of Withdrawing Life Sustaining Treatment in the ICU, 12: Kathleen Puntillo: The Role of Critical Care Nurses in Providing and Managing End-of-Life Care, 13: Sarah E. Shannon: Helping Families Prepare for and Cope with a Death in the ICU, 14: Susan D. Block: Helping the Clinician Cope with Death in the ICU, 15: Nancy Chambers: The Interface of Technology and Spriituality in the ICU, 16: Steven Miles: Sacred End-of-Life Rituals in the ICU, Section. Part 4: Societal Issues. 17: Marion Danis: Role of Race, Ethnicity, Religion, and Socioeconomic Status on End-of-Life Care in the ICU, 18: Marshal B. Kapp: Legal Liability Anxieties in the ICU, 19: Peter Pronovost and Derek C. Angus: Economics of Managing Death in te ICU, 20: Barbara Daly: Organizational Change and Improving the uality of Palliative Care in the ICU, 21: Malcom Fisher: An Interantional Perspective on Death in the ICU, Section. Part 5: Specific Diseases and Special Populations. 22: Mark J. Rosen: AIDS, 23: Anthony Back: Cancer, 24: Jonathon Sackner-Bernstein: Congestive heart failure, 25: John E. Heffner: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 26: Eelco F.M. Wijdicks: Decisions to limit intensive care in patients with coma, 27: Walter M. Robinson: Special concerns for infants and children, 28: Judith E. Nelson: Special Concerns for the very old