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Current Anesthesiology Reports
Published in: Current Anesthesiology Reports 3/2019

01-09-2019 | Care | Pediatric Anesthesia (J Lerman, Section Editor)

Pediatric Palliative Care in the Perioperative Period

Author: Nancy L. Glass

Published in: Current Anesthesiology Reports | Issue 3/2019

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Abstract

Purpose of Review

The purpose of this review is to familiarize anesthesiologists with the role of the subspecialty of pediatric palliative care and its potential contributions to the management of children with complex and life-threatening illnesses, many of whom may present for operative or diagnostic procedures requiring anesthesia.

Recent Findings

Recent publications highlight the benefits of palliative care to patients and families experiencing a wide variety of conditions along the continuum from prenatal application to the management of young adults. Retrospective reports highlight improved quality of life, improved symptom control, an impact on place of care, and an increased rate of achieving the preferred place of death.

Summary

Pediatric palliative care is a relatively new subspecialty of pediatrics which utilizes an interdisciplinary team approach to support patients and their families undergoing treatment for life-threatening or life-limiting conditions, addressing physical, emotional, and psychological needs to care for the whole patient.
Literature
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27.
• Robins B, Booser A, Lantos JD. When parents have misunderstandings about the risks and benefits of palliative surgery. Pediatrics. 2018;142:e20180482 Lantos and colleagues remind us that it is often anesthesiologists who realize that parents may not understand the risks and benefits of palliative surgical procedures, creating moral distress for the anesthesiologist. They advocate for anesthesiology participation in the decision-making process.CrossRef
Metadata
Title
Pediatric Palliative Care in the Perioperative Period
Author
Nancy L. Glass
Publication date
01-09-2019
Publisher
Springer US
Keyword
Care
Published in
Current Anesthesiology Reports / Issue 3/2019
Electronic ISSN: 2167-6275
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40140-019-00347-8

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