For many years, there has been a great deal of work done on chronic congestive heart failure while acute heart failure has been considered a difficult to handle and hopeless syndrome. However, in recent years acute heart failure has become a growing area of study and this is the first book to cover extensively the diagnosis and management of this complex condition. The book reflects the considerable amounts of new data reported and many new concepts which have been proposed in the last 3-4 years looking at the epidemiology, diagnostic and treatment of acute heart failure.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a screening tool called the Listing of Impairments to identify claimants who are so severely impaired that they cannot work at all and thus immediately qualify for benefits. In this report, the IOM makes several recommendations for improving SSA's capacity to determine disability benefits more quickly and efficiently using the Listings.
This book systematically focuses on central sleep apneas, analyzing their relationship especially with heart failure and discussing recent research results and emerging treatment strategies based on feedback modulation. The opening chapters present historical background information on Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR), clarify terminology, and explain the mechanics and chemistry of respiration. Following a description of the physiology of respiration, the pathophysiology underlying central apneas in different disorders and particularly in heart failure is discussed. The similarities and differences of obstructive and central apneas are then considered. The book looks beyond the concept of sleep apnea to daytime CSR and periodic breathing during effort and contrasts the opposing views of CSR as a compensatory phenomenon or as detrimental to the failing heart. The diagnostic tools currently in use for the detection of CSR are thoroughly reviewed, with guidance on interpretation of findings. The book concludes by describing the various forms of treatment that are available for CSR and by explaining how to select patients for treatment.
This open access textbook represents a vital contribution to global health education, offering insights into health promotion as part of patient care for bachelor’s and master’s students in health care (nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, radiotherapists, social care workers etc.) as well as health care professionals, and providing an overview of the field of health science and health promotion for PhD students and researchers. Written by leading experts from seven countries in Europe, America, Africa and Asia, it first discusses the theory of health promotion and vital concepts. It then presents updated evidence-based health promotion approaches in different populations (people with chronic diseases, cancer, heart failure, dementia, mental disorders, long-term ICU patients, elderly individuals, families with newborn babies, palliative care patients) and examines different health promotion approaches integrated into primary care services. This edited scientific anthology provides much-needed knowledge, translating research into guidelines for practice. Today’s medical approaches are highly developed; however, patients are human beings with a wholeness of body-mind-spirit. As such, providing high-quality and effective health care requires a holistic physical-psychological-social-spiritual model of health care is required. A great number of patients, both in hospitals and in primary health care, suffer from the lack of a holistic oriented health approach: Their condition is treated, but they feel scared, helpless and lonely. Health promotion focuses on improving people’s health in spite of illnesses. Accordingly, health care that supports/promotes patients’ health by identifying their health resources will result in better patient outcomes: shorter hospital stays, less re-hospitalization, being better able to cope at home and improved well-being, which in turn lead to lower health-care costs. This scientific anthology is the first of its kind, in that it connects health promotion with the salutogenic theory of health throughout the chapters. the authors here expand the understanding of health promotion beyond health protection and disease prevention. The book focuses on describing and explaining salutogenesis as an umbrella concept, not only as the key concept of sense of coherence.
The Pocket Book is for use by doctors nurses and other health workers who are responsible for the care of young children at the first level referral hospitals. This second edition is based on evidence from several WHO updated and published clinical guidelines. It is for use in both inpatient and outpatient care in small hospitals with basic laboratory facilities and essential medicines. In some settings these guidelines can be used in any facilities where sick children are admitted for inpatient care. The Pocket Book is one of a series of documents and tools that support the Integrated Managem.
Getting the right diagnosis is a key aspect of health care - it provides an explanation of a patient's health problem and informs subsequent health care decisions. The diagnostic process is a complex, collaborative activity that involves clinical reasoning and information gathering to determine a patient's health problem. According to Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, diagnostic errors-inaccurate or delayed diagnoses-persist throughout all settings of care and continue to harm an unacceptable number of patients. It is likely that most people will experience at least one diagnostic error in their lifetime, sometimes with devastating consequences. Diagnostic errors may cause harm to patients by preventing or delaying appropriate treatment, providing unnecessary or harmful treatment, or resulting in psychological or financial repercussions. The committee concluded that improving the diagnostic process is not only possible, but also represents a moral, professional, and public health imperative. Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, a continuation of the landmark Institute of Medicine reports To Err Is Human (2000) and Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001), finds that diagnosis-and, in particular, the occurrence of diagnostic errorsâ€"has been largely unappreciated in efforts to improve the quality and safety of health care. Without a dedicated focus on improving diagnosis, diagnostic errors will likely worsen as the delivery of health care and the diagnostic process continue to increase in complexity. Just as the diagnostic process is a collaborative activity, improving diagnosis will require collaboration and a widespread commitment to change among health care professionals, health care organizations, patients and their families, researchers, and policy makers. The recommendations of Improving Diagnosis in Health Care contribute to the growing momentum for change in this crucial area of health care quality and safety.
Chronic liver failure is a frequent condition in clinical practice that encompasses all manifestations of patients with end-stage liver diseases. Chronic liver failure is a multiorgan syndrome that affects the liver, kidneys, brain, heart, lungs, adrenal glands, and vascular, coagulation, and immune systems. Chronic Liver Failure: Mechanisms and Management covers for the first time all aspects of chronic liver failure in a single book, from pathogenesis to current management. Each chapter is written by a worldwide known expert in their area and all provide the latest state-of-the-art knowledge. This volume is specifically designed to provide answers to clinical questions to all doctors dealing with patients with liver diseases, not only clinical gastroenterologists and hepatologists, but also to internists, nephrologists, intensive care physicians, and transplant surgeons.
Inflammation in Heart Failure, edited by W. Matthijs Blankesteijn and Raffaele Altara, is the first book in a decade to provide an in-depth assessment on the causes, symptoms, progression and treatments of cardiac inflammation and related conditions. This reference uses two decades of research to introduce new methods for identifying inflammatory benchmarks from early onset to chronic heart failure and specifically emphasizes the importance of classifying at-risk subgroups within large populations while determining the patterns of cytokines in such classifications. Further, the book details clinical applications of the pathophysiological mechanisms of heart failure, diagnosis and therapeutic strategies. Inflammation in Heart Failure's breadth of subject matter, easy-to-follow structure, portability, and high-quality illustrations create an accessible benefit for researchers, clinicians and students. - Presents updated information and research on the relevant inflammatory mediators of heart failure to aid in targeting future translational research as well as the improvement of early diagnosis and treatment - Provides research into better understanding the different inflammatory mediators that signal the underlying diseases that potentially lead to heart failure - Contains 20 years of research, offering a brief overview of the topic leading to current opinions on, and treatment of, heart failure - Provides a structured, systematic and balanced overview of the role of inflammation in heart failure making it a useful resource for researchers and clinicians, as well as those studying cardiovascular diseases
Arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease and heart fail ure are the commonest cardiovascular conditions to present in clinical practice. Over the past few years it has become in creasingly clear that they are closely and causally interrelated and that their relationship can have a significant bearing on prognosis. Epidemiological studies have shown that arterial hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for de veloping heart failure. Only one in four patients with hyper tension is adequately managed, and in 50% of cases, the hypertension has not been recognised or treated. Patients with pre-existing hypertension who go on to suffer an acute myocardial infarction have usually not previously had typi cal angina symptoms, the infarct territory is larger, life threatening arrhythmias are commoner and hence in-hospi tal mortality and long-term prognosis are markedly worse. The presence of raised blood pressure in the post-infarct phase doubles the risk of manifest heart failure. The close relationship between hypertension, coronary heart disease and heart failure makes the choice of therapeu tic strategy particularly important. Agents and classes of agents that have prognostic value in all three conditions should be considered first, as synergy might result in addi tional benefits. In such patients, this sort of therapeutic deci sion-making might have further advantages. The use of these agents may prevent complications which are not yet clinically obvious (such as heart failure).
Find fast answers to inform your daily diagnosis and treatment decisions! Ferri’s Clinical Advisor 2021 uses the popular "5 books in 1" format to deliver vast amounts of information in a clinically relevant, user-friendly manner. This bestselling reference has been significantly updated to provide you with easy access to answers on 1,000 common medical conditions, including diseases and disorders, differential diagnoses, clinical algorithms, laboratory tests, and clinical practice guidelines—all carefully reviewed by experts in key clinical fields. Extensive algorithms, along with hundreds of new figures and tables, ensure that you stay current with today's medical practice. Contains significant updates throughout, covering all aspects of current diagnosis and treatment. Features 27 all-new topics including chronic rhinosinusitis, subclinical brain infarction, reflux-cough syndrome, radiation pneumonitis, catatonia, end-stage renal disease, and genitourinary syndrome of menopause, among others. Includes new appendices covering common herbs in integrated medicine and herbal activities against pain and chronic diseases; palliative care; and preoperative evaluation. Offers online access to Patient Teaching Guides in both English and Spanish.
