Hypotensive Syndromes in Geriatric Patients


Book Description

As the Baby Boomers age, concerns over healthcare systems abilities to accommodate geriatric patients grow increasingly challenging. The increased life expectancy of the population since the early 1900s had been built on the improvement of living conditions, diet, public health and advancement in medical care. With this we have seen a steady decline in the age-specific prevalence of vascular and heart diseases, stroke and even dementia. In addition, societies worldwide struggle to develop a large enough workforce to treat aging patients, which forces geriatric patients to rely on physicians in a wide array of specialties that are often not trained for their demographic. These trends have created a tremendous need for trustworthy resources, yet with regard to hypotensive syndromes, nothing of this nature exists. Hypotensive syndromes represent a heterogenous group of disease states. Hypotensive syndromes are characterized by low blood pressure following postural changes, meals and neck turning. These are common conditions seen in the elderly and could be due to blood pressure dysregulation. These syndromes frequently cause dizziness, syncope and falls in the elderly as well as a resultant decrease in function, and they are frequently mistaken for other conditions. This is especially true among physicians who are not trained to consider the unique needs of an aging patient. The proposed book is designed to present a comprehensive approach to the management of hypotensive syndromes in the elderly. Currently there are no guidelines or good resource to guide about these conditions. This book will also discuss the challenges of diagnosis and management of these conditions. The text introduces the concepts to set a clear foundation before covering the syndromes as they present in other comorbidities, including diabetes, heart failure, and a wide array of serious conditions that are common in older patients. As the Baby Boomers continue to age, this text will prove a vital resource for a wide array of specialties that will be increasingly critical to meeting their needs.




Orthostatic Hypotension in Older Adults


Book Description

This book provides a comprehensive and practical guide to orthostatic hypotension (OH) for doctors and nurses involved in the care of older adults, together with a state-of-the-art update on OH, covering its epidemiology, pathophysiology, assessment, diagnosis, causes, prevention, management, and relevance for geriatric practice. In addition, it addresses mechanisms of orthostatic tolerance and other orthostasis related conditions, as well as drugs, comorbidities and geriatric syndromes related to OH. The homeostatic ability to maintain blood pressure while standing requires an adequate blood volume and the integrity of the nervous system, heart, blood vessels and muscle pump. However, in older adults, some age-related factors can contribute to the development of OH. For example, decreased baroreflex sensitivity, α-1-adrenergic vasoconstrictor response to sympathetic stimuli, parasympathetic activity, renal salt and water conservation, increased vascular stiffness and decreased ventricular diastolic filling, as well as concentrated capacities of the kidney may be associated with changes in postural blood pressure. It has also been shown that OH is associated with falls, cardiac events, heart failure, stroke, reduced quality of life, and increased risk of overall mortality in these patients. “Orthostatic Hypotension in Older Adults” will be of considerable interest to all professionals working in the fields of geriatrics, geriatric psychiatry, neurology, internal medicine, cardiology, and emergency medicine, or working with older people in hospitals or in their community.




Autonomic Failure


Book Description

This fourth edition of Autonomic Failure (now available in paperback) covers the many recent advances made in our understanding of the autonomic nervous system. There are 20 new chapters and extensive revisions of all other contributions. Autonomic failure, fourth edition makes diagnosis increasingly precise by fully evaluating the underlying anatomical and functional deficits, thereby allowing more effective treatment. This new edition continues to provide practitioners from a variety of fields, including neurology, cardiology, geriatric medicine, diabetology, and internal medicine, with a rational guide to aid in the recognition and management of autonomic disorders. The book starts with an updated classification of autonomic disorders and a history of the autonomic nervous system. The first two sections of the book deal with the fundamental aspects of autonomic structure, function, and integration. There are new chapters dealing with neurobiology, nerve growth factors, genetic mutations, neural and hormonal control of the cerebral circulation, innervation of the lung, and pathophysiological mechanisms causing nausea and vomiting. Advances in the clinical management of autonomic disorders are critically dependent on the bridge made between the basic and applied sciences.




Geriatric Emergency Medicine


Book Description

This comprehensive volume provides a practical framework for evaluation, management and disposition of this growing vulnerable patient population.




Brain Diseases—Advances in Research and Application: 2013 Edition


Book Description

Brain Diseases—Advances in Research and Application: 2013 Edition is a ScholarlyEditions™ book that delivers timely, authoritative, and comprehensive information about Brain Injuries. The editors have built Brain Diseases—Advances in Research and Application: 2013 Edition on the vast information databases of ScholarlyNews.™ You can expect the information about Brain Injuries in this book to be deeper than what you can access anywhere else, as well as consistently reliable, authoritative, informed, and relevant. The content of Brain Diseases—Advances in Research and Application: 2013 Edition has been produced by the world’s leading scientists, engineers, analysts, research institutions, and companies. All of the content is from peer-reviewed sources, and all of it is written, assembled, and edited by the editors at ScholarlyEditions™ and available exclusively from us. You now have a source you can cite with authority, confidence, and credibility. More information is available at http://www.ScholarlyEditions.com/.




The Dysautonomia Project


Book Description

"The Dysautonomia Project" is a much needed tool for physicians, patients, or caregivers looking to arm themselves with the power of knowledge. It combines current publications from leaders in the field of autonomic disorders with explanations for doctors and patients about the signs and symptoms, which will aid in reducing the six-year lead time to diagnosis.




Diabetes and Hypertension


Book Description

Diabetes and hypertension have evolved as two of the modern day epidemics affecting millions of people around the world. These two common co-morbidities lead to substantial increase in cardiovascular disease, the major cause of morbidity and mortality of adults around the world. In Diabetes and Hypertension: Evaluation and Management, a panel of renowned experts address a range of critical topics -- from basic concepts in evaluation and management of diabetes and hypertension, such as dietary interventions, to evaluation and management of secondary hypertension in clinical practice. Other chapters focus on high cardiovascular risk populations such as those with coronary heart disease, chronic kidney disease and minority patients. In addition, evolving concepts and new developments in the field are presented in other chapters, such as prevention of type 2 diabetes and the epidemic of sleep apnea and its implication for diabetes and hypertension evaluation and management. An important title covering two of the most troubling disorders of our time, Diabetes and Hypertension: Evaluation and Management will provide the busy practitioner with cutting edge knowledge in the field as well as practical information that can translate into better care provided to the high-risk population of diabetics and hypertensive patients.




Orthogeriatrics


Book Description

This new open access edition supported by the Fragility Fracture Network aims at giving the widest possible dissemination on fragility fracture (especially hip fracture) management and notably in countries where this expertise is sorely needed. It has been extensively revised and updated by the experts of this network to provide a unique and reliable content in one single volume. Throughout the book, attention is given to the difficult question of how to provide best practice in countries where the discipline of geriatric medicine is not well established and resources for secondary prevention are scarce. The revised and updated chapters on the epidemiology of hip fractures, osteoporosis, sarcopenia, surgery, anaesthesia, medical management of frailty, peri-operative complications, rehabilitation and nursing are supplemented by six new chapters. These include an overview of the multidisciplinary approach to fragility fractures and new contributions on pre-hospital care, treatment in the emergency room, falls prevention, nutrition and systems for audit. The reader will have an exhaustive overview and will gain essential, practical knowledge on how best to manage fractures in elderly patients and how to develop clinical systems that do so reliably.




Cardiothoracic Critical Care


Book Description

This concise, practical 'Oxford Specialist Handbook' provides an evidence-based approach to all aspects of patient care in cardiothoracic intensive care.




Rapid Response System


Book Description

Rapid Response System: A Practical Guide provides a practical approach to the evaluation, differential diagnosis, and management of common medical and surgical emergencies such as cardiac arrest, acute respiratory failure, seizures, and hemorrhagic shock occurring in hospitalized patients. Less common and special circumstances such as pediatric, obstetric, oncologic, neurologic and behavioral emergencies as well as palliative care for terminally ill patients encountered in the context of rapid response team events are also discussed. An overview of commonly performed bedside emergency procedures by rapid response team members complements the clinical resources that may need to be brought to bear during the course of the rapid response team event. Finally, an overview of organization, leadership, communication, quality and patient safety surrounding rapid response team events is provided. This book is written with medical students, junior physicians and nursing staff in mind working in both academic and community hospital settings. Both a novice and an experienced healthcare provider involved in a rapid response system will find this handbook to be valuable supplement to the clinical experiences gained though active engagement in the system. Hospital administrators and senior management staff will also find this book to be useful in the evaluation of quality and performance of the rapid response system, management of staff attitudes and behavior, performance of peer review, care for second victims and implementation of countermeasures for patient safety problems discovered in the course of rapid response system reviews.