This book aims to equip the reader to make optimal decisions on the use of mechanical ventilatory support in critically ill cancer patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF) and to implement the different strategies effectively. Detailed information is provided on the rationale for invasive and non-invasive ventilation, the different modes of ventilation, indications and contraindications, prognostic factors, and outcomes. The role of postoperative mechanical ventilation following various forms of surgery is extensively addressed, and key aspects of withdrawal from ventilatory support are discussed. Attention is also devoted to mechanical ventilation in the palliative care context. The concluding part of the book focuses on healthcare resource utilization and organizational support in cancer critical care. ARF is the most common reason for hospital and intensive care admission among oncological patients, and there is growing evidence that outcome following mechanical ventilation isimproving. Readers will find this book to be an invaluable aid when selecting and executing a strategy for management of ARF in individual cancer patients.
Antonio M. Esquinas, MD, PhD, is a member of staff on the Intensive Care Unit and Non-invasive Ventilatory Unit at Hospital General Universitario Morales Meseguer, Murcia, Spain. Prior to taking up this position in January 2013, he worked in the Departments of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. Dr. Esquinas is a Fellow of the College of Chest Physicians and an International Fellow of the American Association of Respiratory Care. He is Director of the International School of Non-invasive Mechanical Ventilation and President of the International Association of NIV and the Ibero-American Association of Bioethics in NIV. He is the author of well over 700 scientific publications, including almost 400 articles and 32 books.
S. Egbert Pravinkumar, MD, FRCP, EDIC, is Professor and Associate Medical Director, Department of Critical Care, Division of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, The Universityof Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA. Dr. Pravinkumar completed his medical degree at Stanley Medical College and University Hospital, University of Madras, Madras, India and subsequently became a Member (1996) and then Fellow (2004) of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (Pulmonary Medicine/Internal Medicine). In 2006 he became a Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians (Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine). He is the author of 17 articles in peer-reviewed international journals.
Ayman O. Soubani, MD, is Professor of Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA. He is Service Chief of the Pulmonary and Critical Care Section at Karmanos Cancer Center in Detroit and
Medical Director, Medical ICU, Harper University Hospital, Detroit. Dr. Soubani has appeared in both
Best Doctors of America and
America’s Top Doctors. He holds various professional appointments and is a past president of The Michigan Thoracic Society. Dr. Soubani is a member of the editorial boards of
Respiration and
The Open Transplantation Journal, and a reviewer for numerous journals. He is the author of 84 peer-reviewed journal articles.
