The Artificial Heart


Book Description

A significant medical event is expected in 1992: the first human use of a fully implantable, long-term cardiac assist device. This timely volume reviews the artificial heart program-and in particular, the National Institutes of Health's major investment-raising important questions. The volume includes: Consideration of the artificial heart versus heart transplantation and other approaches to treating end-stage heart disease, keeping in mind the different outcomes and costs of these treatments. A look at human issues, including the number of people who may require the artificial heart, patient quality of life, and other ethical and societal questions. Examination of how this technology's use can be targeted most appropriately. Attention to achieving access to this technology for all those who can benefit from it. The committee also offers three mechanisms to aid in allocating research and development funds.







The Ethics of Organ Transplantation


Book Description

"Ethics of Organ Transplantation".




Ethical Issues in Pediatric Organ Transplantation


Book Description

This book offers a theoretical and practical overview of the specific ethical and legal issues in pediatric organ transplantation. Written by a team of leading experts, Ethical Issues in Pediatric Organ Transplantation addresses those difficult ethical questions concerning clinical, organizational, legal and policy issues including donor, recipient and allocation issues. Challenging topics, including children as donors, donation after cardiac death, misattributed paternity, familial conflicts of interest, developmental disability as a listing criteria, small bowel transplant, and considerations in navigating the media are discussed. It serves as a fundamental handbook and resource for pediatricians, transplant health care professionals, trainees, graduate students, scholars, practitioners of bioethics and health policy makers.




Organ Donation


Book Description

Rates of organ donation lag far behind the increasing need. At the start of 2006, more than 90,000 people were waiting to receive a solid organ (kidney, liver, lung, pancreas, heart, or intestine). Organ Donation examines a wide range of proposals to increase organ donation, including policies that presume consent for donation as well as the use of financial incentives such as direct payments, coverage of funeral expenses, and charitable contributions. This book urges federal agencies, nonprofit groups, and others to boost opportunities for people to record their decisions to donate, strengthen efforts to educate the public about the benefits of organ donation, and continue to improve donation systems. Organ Donation also supports initiatives to increase donations from people whose deaths are the result of irreversible cardiac failure. This book emphasizes that all members of society have a stake in an adequate supply of organs for patients in need, because each individual is a potential recipient as well as a potential donor.




Xenotransplantation


Book Description

Xenotransplantation involves the transplantation of cells, tissues, and whole organs from one species to another. Interest in animal-to-human xenotransplants has been spurred by the continuing shortage of donated human organs and by advances in knowledge concerning the biology of organ and tissue rejection. The scientific advances and promise, however, raise complex questions that must be addressed. This book considers the scientific and medical feasibility of xenotransplantation and explores the ethical and public policy issues surrounding the possibility of renewed clinical trials. The volume focuses on the science base of xenotransplantation, public health risks of infectious disease transmission, and ethical and public policy issues, including the views of patients and their families.




Bioethical Controversies in Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery


Book Description

This title reviews the bioethical issues in congenital heart disease and other difficult pediatric cardiology and cardiac surgical situations. It provides considered opinions and recommendations as to the preferred actions to take in these cases, stressing the importance of making informed decisions that are bioethically sound and doing so using considered reasoning of all the related sensitive issues. Bioethical Controversies in Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery provides detailed recommendations on potential solutions to make bioethical decisions in difficult clinical scenarios. There is particular emphasis on controversies involving surgery for hypoplastic left heart syndrome, futility, informed consent, autonomy, genomics, and beneficence. It is intended for use by a wide range of practitioners, including congenital heart surgeons, pediatric cardiologists, pediatric intensivists, nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants, and clinical ethicists.




The ESC Textbook of Intensive and Acute Cardiovascular Care


Book Description

The ESC Textbook of Intensive and Acute Cardiovascular Care is the official textbook of the Acute Cardiovascular Care Association (ACVC) of the ESC. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a major cause of premature death worldwide and a cause of loss of disability-adjusted life years. For most types of CVD early diagnosis and intervention are independent drivers of patient outcome. Clinicians must be properly trained and centres appropriately equipped in order to deal with these critically ill cardiac patients. This new updated edition of the textbook continues to comprehensively approach all the different issues relating to intensive and acute cardiovascular care and addresses all those involved in intensive and acute cardiac care, not only cardiologists but also critical care specialists, emergency physicians and healthcare professionals. The chapters cover the various acute cardiovascular diseases that need high quality intensive treatment as well as organisational issues, cooperation among professionals, and interaction with other specialities in medicine. SECTION 1 focusses on the definition, structure, organisation and function of ICCU's, ethical issues and quality of care. SECTION 2 addresses the pre-hospital and immediate in-hospital (ED) emergency cardiac care. SECTIONS 3-5 discuss patient monitoring, diagnosis and specific procedures. Acute coronary syndromes (ACS), acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), and serious arrhythmias form SECTIONS 6-8. The main other cardiovascular acute conditions are grouped in SECTION 9. Finally SECTION 10 is dedicated to the many concomitant acute non-cardiovascular conditions that contribute to the patients' case mix in ICCU. This edition includes new chapters such as low cardiac output states and cardiogenic shock, and pacemaker and ICDs: troubleshooting and chapters have been extensively revised. Purchasers of the print edition will also receive an access code to access the online version of the textbook which includes additional figures, tables, and videos to better to better illustrate diagnostic and therapeutic techniques and procedures in IACC. The third edition of the ESC Textbook of Intensive and Acute Cardiovascular Care will establish a common basis of knowledge and a uniform and improved quality of care across the field.




Living Donor Organ Transplantation


Book Description

Advances in techniques like transplantation have meant that when a person suffers a failure of one or more essential organs it is often feasible to keep them alive for years. For example, a kidney transplant will, on average, function for about a decade in its recipient. However, of the many countries widely using organ transplantation few can procure sufficient organs to meet demand. One of the consequences of this is that many people who are suitable for an organ transplant die before they can get one. Many patients awaiting a kidney transplant can access and stay alive on dialysis until a suitable organ becomes available but even here a sufficiency of organs would be beneficial because lesser reliance on dialysis would reduce healthcare costs and be better for patient quality of life.Most of the efforts to increase supply have focused on procuring more cadaveric organs. However, with shortfalls being so great, support is growing for increasing living donation (LDT) of kidney and, to a lesser extent, liver segment and even lung lobe. This invaluable book shows that in the light of current practice and attitudes increasing the use of organ LDT is feasible. It is one of the few works to systematically analyse the ethical and legal issues involved in organ LDT use in the light of empirical evidence, including new data derived from a unique programme of interviews and questionnaires with transplant professionals, living donors and recipients. Readers are led to an understanding of when LDT is ethically and legally acceptable and to the strong case for using it much more extensively.