Aging, Heart Disease, and Its Management: Facts and Controversies (Contemporary Cardiology)

reviews The Best Therapies And Surgical Techniques Available To Provide Quality Care For The Elderly Cardiac Patient And Of Those Areas That Require Further Research. The Authors Detail Preventive Therapies And The Cardiovascular Syndromes That Disproportionately Afflict The Older Individual, Including Arrhythmias (particularly Atrial Fibrillation), Syncope, Heart Failure (particularly Diastolic Heart Failure), And Ischemic Heart Disease. They Also Delineate The Surgical Management Of The Heart Patient With Discussions Of Postoperative Management And Its Complications And Of Specific Surgical Procedures Such As Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting, Valve Surgery, Pacemaker And Defibibrillators, And Surgical Management Of Heart Failure. doody Review Services reviewer: john F. Moran, Md(loyola University Stritch School Of Medicine) description: this Multiauthored Book On Heart Disease Is Divided Into Four Sections Covering Epidemiology, Fundamentals Of Care, Cardiovascular Care, And Cardiovascular Surgical Care. It Is The Latest In The Contemporary Cardiology Series Edited By Dr. Christopher Cannon. purpose: the Purpose Is To Review The Known Data On Cardiovascular Medicine And Surgery Related To Elderly Patients. The Book Aims To Describe Controversies In The Care Of The Elderly, And Potentially Define Some Options For Research. audience: physicians Taking Care Of Elderly Patients With Heart Disease Would Find This Interesting And Helpful, Including Internists, Cardiologists, And Cardiology Fellows. features: longevity Has Increased By 28 Years Since 1900 And The Average Age Of Men Now Is 80.8 Years And Women 88.1 Years. Now Cardiovascular Care Requires A Multidisciplinary Approach. The Manner That Healthcare Is Paid For Is Detailed In Chapter Two; A Majority Of The $1.4 Trillion That Is Spent On Healthcare Is Spent On Patients Older Than 65 Years. Diet And Hygiene Are Important Factors In Longevity, So Nutrition Is Important. The Significance Of Protein, Fats, Carbohydrates, Vitamins, Salt, And Fluid Intake, As Well As Other Factors Are Well Described. Drug Treatment Of The Elderly Usually Is Polypharmacy. The Problem Is Some 28 Percent Of Hospitalized Elderly Patients Are Admitted For Adverse Drug Events. There Is An Extensive Table Of Drugs That Cause Adverse Drug Reactions In The Elderly. Psychiatric, Neurological, And Ethical Issues Are Reviewed. Approximately Two-thirds Of The Book Is Devoted To The Medical/surgical Care Of Cardiovascular Disease With Discussions Of Arrhythmias, Syncope, Ischemic Heart Disease, Congestive Heart Failure, And Surgical/interventions Of Care. Aging Of The Cardiovascular System Impacts The Disease Process. Accepted Coronary Risk Factors Are Reviewed With Newer Ones, E.g. Depression, Ankle Brachial Index, Homocysteine, And C Reactive Protein. Antiarrhythmic Drug Therapy Is Reviewed. Overall, The Medical, Cardiovascular And Surgical Management Of Ischemic Heart Disease, Bradyarrhythmias, And Congestive Heart Failure Are Well Presented. assessment: this Is A Readable, Well Referenced, Well Organized Addition To The Medical Literature. Many Of The Chapters Point To Areas Where Randomized Clinical Trials That Include Elderly Patients Are Not Available, But Clearly Would Be Helpful. The Book Reviews Treatments In These Areas That Are The Best That We Have At This Time. As the "Baby Boom" generation joins the ranks of Americans already 65 or older (now 13% of the population), the need for physicians and gerontologists who understand cardiovascular disease in the elderly will become critical. In Aging, Heart Disease, and Its Management: Facts and Controversies, a panel of world renowned clinicians from the foremost academic institutions review the best therapies and surgical techniques available to provide quality care for the elderly cardiac patient, and highlight the controversial areas that require further research. Their survey details preventive therapies and the cardiovascular syndromes that disproportionately afflict the older individual, including arrhythmias (particularly atrial fibrillation), syncope, heart failure (particularly diastolic heart failure), and ischemic heart disease. They also delineate the surgical management of the heart patient, with discussions of postoperative management and its complications, and such specific operative procedures as coronary artery bypass grafting, valve surgery, pacemakers and defibrillators, and surgical management of heart failure. Additional chapters guide the clinician through the major nutritional, neurological, pharmacologic, psychiatric, ethical, and rehabilitation issues that contribute significantly to the quality of care of the elderly. Comprehensive and authoritative, Aging, Heart Disease, and Its Management: Facts and Controversies offers today's clinicians not only an up-to-date survey of the latest therapies and surgical techniques available for treating the special cardiovascular problems of the elderly, but also an examination of those areas of medical controversy in need of further investigation As the 21st century commences, the aged constitutes a growing proportion of the world's population.