Overview

Approximately 90 per cent of deaths from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) are the result of chronic respiratory failure and/or concurrent respiratory infection. Respiratory failure in neuromuscular diseases is of the restrictive type, resulting from progressive weakness of the muscles of breathing. Intrinsic lung tissue remains intact. As a consequence, the ventilator simply replaces or augments the failed bellows machanism of the respiratory system. This is a discussion of the use of assisted ventilation by individuals with DMD, a method which has been in effect since the 1970s. The authors of the book approach the subject from an emotional, psychosocial, and ethical perspective, as well as a financial point of view.

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9780810834880

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Reviews

This book is appropriate for libraries with medical collections that include books that are a step beyond popular materials...This is not a book about triumph or loss with disease, but rather a serious, honest approach to the medical decisions about the issue. Public Library Quarterly

Author Information

The American Institute of Life-Threatening Illness and Loss, a division of The Foundation of Thanatology, was established to promote improvements in psychology and medical care of critically ill patients. It is a public, nonprofit organization based at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York and is directly affiliated with professionals in numerous medical and psychological fields, making it the only organization of its kind.

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