Main description:

This book provides an exploration of the ethics of cardiology practice. It provides a variety of frameworks for analyzing ethical issues that arise in cardiovascular medicine.

Cardiovascular medicine-the diagnosis and treatment of congenital and acquired diseases of the heart, major arteries, and veins-has seen rapid change in diagnosis, treatment, and the organization of practice in the last half of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty first century. The complexity of these developments has resulted in increasing subspecialization, and many practitioners are challenged to stay abreast with the latest developments in cardiology. These changes also bring with them various ethical challenges. The chapters in this volume are divided by five broad areas of practice: beginning-of-life, end-of-life, transplantation and allocation of expensive or scarce resources, professionalism, and research. The case-based approach presented across the volume provides a perspective that will allow readers to reason through current and future ethical issues as they arise in this rapidly changing field.

Ethical Issues in Cardiovascular Medicine will be of interest to researchers working in bioethics, clinical ethics, and the philosophy of medicine, as well as practicing physicians, nurses, and students who work in cardiovascular medicine.

Contents:

Cardiovascular Ethics: An Introduction David M. Zientek

Part 1: Cardiovascular Ethical Issues at the Beginning of Life

1. Ethical Issues in Reproductive Genetic Testing for Cardiovascular Disease Sara Cherny & Dawn Allain

2. An Ethical Discussion of Cardiovascular Disease in Pregnancy: Peripartum Cardiomyopathy and Pulmonary Hypertension Pamela Jordi & James Smith, Jr.

3. Severe Congenital Anomalies in the Fetus or Infant: "Best-Interests" Decisions for Ambiguous Outcomes Dalia M. Feltman

Part 2: Cardiovascular Ethical Issues at the End-of-Life

4. Palliative Care Issues in Advanced Cardiac Disease Sara E. Wordingham & Keith M. Swetz

5. Deactivating Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices at End of Life Keith M. Swetz, Sara Wordingham, Daniel D. Matlock & David M. Zientek

Part 3: Transplantation and Allocation of Expensive/Scarce Resources

6. Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Reuse: Ethical Considerations and Enhancing Awareness Behzad Pavri

7. Just Distribution of Cardiovascular Resources: The Left Ventricular Assist Devices Kayhan Parsi & David M. Zientek

8. The Cardio-Ethics of Endocarditis: Ethical and Moral Challenges of Noncompliance Alexandra Charrow & James N. Kirkpatrick

Part 4: Professionalism in Cardiovascular Practice

9. Conflicts of Interest in Daily Practice David M. Zientek

10. Ethical Challenges for Cardiology Societies: Conflicts of Interest and Clinical Practice Guidelines Mark A. Hoffman & James N. Kirkpatrick

11. Error, Malpractice, and Complication: A Practical Approach David M. Zientek

12. Ethical Practice in Cardiovascular Nursing Joy Penticuff & Angela Clark

Part 5: Cardiovascular Medical Research

13. Ethics in Cardiovascular Research Ana S. Iltis

14. Early Termination of Cardiovascular Research Protocols Emily E. Anderson & Teresa Lynne Caples