Emergency Medicine Reports – May 5, 2013
May 5, 2013
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Palliative Care in the Emergency Department
The paradigm I grew up with in emergency medicine is that there are a limited number of ways to die, and our role was to intervene and prevent death using the principles of A, B, and C: airway, breathing, and circulation. This concept works well for the previously healthy acutely ill or injured patient. But for the patient nearing the end of a life-limiting illness, it is not appropriate and can even be cruel. The introduction of palliative care to the emergency department at first seems out of place; that is the place where patients are snatched from the jaws of death. But as the authors of this issue explain, the ABC of resuscitation can be revised to the ABCD of palliative care assessment to provide better care to patients and families in times of crisis. -
Emergency Medicine Reports - Full May 5, 2013 Issue in Streaming Audio/Downloadable MP3 Format