Cardiovascular Disease in the Elderly. A Practical Manual (Oxford Care Manuals)

ABOUT THIS BOOK

• Focuses on the presentation and management of cardiovascular disease in the elderly to assist the reader in diagnosis and care
• Incorporates the current UK and international guidelines with particular reference to the elderly patient
• Provides guidance on the ethical and clinical dilemmas particular to geriatric practice and the current legal framework applicable to the elderly patient
• Contains a chapter on important clinical trials to encourage the provision of evidence based care

The population is ageing, and most cardiovascular diseases are more common in older people. Older people often present atypically, have multiple co-morbidities, and are vulnerable to therapeutic delays or errors. The healthcare needs of the elderly differ from those of younger patients and are more complex, related to the physical and psychological changes associated with ageing and other disease processes in the elderly population. In addition, the response to treatment may alter with ageing, yet many elderly patients with cardiovascular disease are not looked after by specialists.

Cardiovascular Disease in the Elderly provides user-friendly advice in a field that has limited evidence but contributes significantly to the workload not only of cardiologists but also of elderly care physicians and general practitioners. It reflects current UK and international guidelines and provides key evidence based references. Wherever possible, published guidelines are incorporated to ensure the book reflects current recommended management. It indicates where practice differs from that of younger adults, and provides guidance on the ethical and clinical dilemmas particular to the elderly. The handbook covers many aspects of cardiovascular disease in the elderly and focuses on common problems, including heart failure, atrial fibrillation and isolated systolic hypertension.

Readership: Doctors, nurses and other health care professionals working in primary, community and secondary care, particularly general practitioners, practice nurses, cardiac specialist nurses, junior hospital doctors, ward nurses, and pharmacists.

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Rosaire Gray, Consultant Physician and Honorary Senior Lecturer at UCL, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Whittington Hospital, London, UK, and Louise Pack, Consultant Physician, Medicine for the Elderly, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust, Brighton, UK

Contributors:
Ruth Law, Whittington Hospital, London, UK
Gareth Rosser, Whittington Hospital, London, UK

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1: The ageing population
2: Ischaemic heart disease in the elderly
3: Valve disease
4: Infective endocarditis
5: Heart failure
6: Arrhythmias in the elderly
7: Atrial fibrillation in the elderly
8: Syncope and orthostatic (postural) hypotension
9: Hypertension in the elderly
10: Abdominal aortic aneurysm and peripheral vascular disease
11: Major clinical trials and the elderly
12: The elderly cardiac patient undergoing non-cardiac surgery
13: Medical treatment and approaching end of life
14: Cardiovascular disease and mental health