Andrew J. Drain and Francis C. Wells
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- November 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198530039
- eISBN:
- 9780191730450
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198530039.003.0010
- Subject:
- Palliative Care, Patient Care and End-of-Life Decision Making, Pain Management and Palliative Pharmacology
This chapter focuses on surgical interventions that alleviate or abolish dyspnoea. In general, surgical procedures are a careful balance of risks and benefits, but for advanced diseases in the chest, ...
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This chapter focuses on surgical interventions that alleviate or abolish dyspnoea. In general, surgical procedures are a careful balance of risks and benefits, but for advanced diseases in the chest, surgical interventions are usually seen as too invasive for patients with incurable disease. Surgical intervention in patients with advanced disease often induces distressing symptoms, the most frightening of which is dyspnoea. However, it is in these cases that aggressive palliative interventions yield the most gratifying results and may lessen or abolish dyspnoea. In this chapter the most common chest malignancies and the interventions that can be undertaken to reduce dyspnoea are examined. Some of the chest diseases discussed are: pulmonary sepsis, pericardial disease, and oesophageal carcinoma. The chapter also looks at some non-malignant diseases such as emphysema and pulmonary hypertension. Among the surgical interventions discussed are: stenting, palliative surgical resection, and surgical bypass.Less
This chapter focuses on surgical interventions that alleviate or abolish dyspnoea. In general, surgical procedures are a careful balance of risks and benefits, but for advanced diseases in the chest, surgical interventions are usually seen as too invasive for patients with incurable disease. Surgical intervention in patients with advanced disease often induces distressing symptoms, the most frightening of which is dyspnoea. However, it is in these cases that aggressive palliative interventions yield the most gratifying results and may lessen or abolish dyspnoea. In this chapter the most common chest malignancies and the interventions that can be undertaken to reduce dyspnoea are examined. Some of the chest diseases discussed are: pulmonary sepsis, pericardial disease, and oesophageal carcinoma. The chapter also looks at some non-malignant diseases such as emphysema and pulmonary hypertension. Among the surgical interventions discussed are: stenting, palliative surgical resection, and surgical bypass.
