Literature Review

Yes, you can die from a broken heartMedscape; by F. Perry Wilson, MD, MSCE; 5/14/25 A patient comes crashing into the emergency room with severe chest pain. The EKG looks like this: A patient comes crashing into the emergency room with severe chest pain. The EKG looks like this: [graphic]. As a doctor, if you see this, you’re calling the cardiac cath lab. This is an ST-elevation myocardial infarction — the big one — indicative of a blood clot blocking blood flow to a large section of the heart. The sooner you get that blood clot out, the better chance the patient has to survive. So the patient is rushed to the cath lab, and they find… nothing. Clear coronaries. No blood clot. Further questioning reveals that the patient, an older woman, lost her husband recently. This is stress-induced cardiomyopathy, medically known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC). It’s the pathophysiologic manifestation of a broken heart. First described in 1991, Takotsubo syndrome occurs in the setting of deep psychological, emotional, or physical stress.

After multi-year battle, Delaware Medical-Aid-in-Dying bill is law WDEL.com 1150AM and 101.7 FM - Delaware's News Now; by Mark Fowser; 5/20/25, 1:38pm ET Delaware is now the 12th jurisdiction to allow adults who are terminally ill and want to bring an end to their suffering to request and self-administer medication that would end their lives. Governor Matt Meyer Tuesday signed Delaware's Medical Aid in Dying legislation (House Bill 140) into law, which was passed by the General Assembly earlier this year. The measure also passed last year after a ten-year battle, but was vetoed by then-Governor John Carney. "For those with terminal illness who are seeking out more choices at end of life, the signing of this bill provides those in that circumstance one more option than they had just yesterday," Tim Appleton with The Compassion and Choices Action Network said. The legislation will take effect by January 1st, 2026 - or earlier, pending the implementation of regulations. Under the act, several medical professionals would have to agree that a person's prognosis is terminal with six months or less to live, the adult must be able to make clear decisions, and the person would need to be able to self-administer the medication. Appleton also had a message for people who think this may encourage more people to take their lives: "to assure that not one more person will dies as a result of this legislation, but far fewer will suffer."

Trump Administration Executive Order TrackerMcDermott+Consulting; by McDermott+; 5/19/25 [This article] is a tracker of healthcare-related executive orders (EOs) issued by the Trump administration, including overviews of each EO and the date each EO was signed. We will regularly update this tracker as additional EOs are published. It is important to note that EOs, on their own, do not effectuate policies. Rather, in most cases, they put forth policy goals and call on federal agencies to examine old or institute new policies that align with those goals. ...

NorthStar Care Community launches 'Life's Big Moments' campaign to initiate nationwide conversation about end-of-life hospice care PR Newswire, Ann Arbor, MI; by NorthStar Care Community; 5/19/25 NorthStar Care Community has launched Life's Big Moments, a campaign that celebrates the beauty of life's journey from the big milestones to the small, everyday moments that leave the deepest impact on our well-being and purpose. The campaign aims to initiate conversation and awareness around end-of-life care while also raising money to benefit the members of NorthStar Care Community. Companies, organizations, and individuals are invited to support these efforts throughout the campaign, focusing on recognizing the needs of our Veterans.

Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are. ~ Malcom S. Forbes

6 ways to successfully implement clinical communication tools Forbes; by Judit Sharon; 5/19/25 In the high-stakes environment of healthcare, communication breakdowns can have life-or-death consequences. Yet too often, hospitals and healthcare systems assume that simply deploying new clinical communication and collaboration (CC&C) tools will solve the problem. The reality is more complex: Successful implementation depends just as much on operational alignment, cultural change and thoughtful execution as it does on the technology itself. To turn communication tools into real transformation, here are six ways to drive successful CC&C adoption.

‘Don’t be sad. I’ve had a great life’: John Shakespeare on the art of livingOur Community Now; by Peter FitzSimons; 5/18/25 JS [John Shakespeare]: I’m a realist at heart, Pete, and once I know that something is irreversible I have no choice but to accept it. There is a certain sense of peace that comes from acceptance. It eliminates the need to ask “why me?” and “if only”. Fitz: I have been told, wonderfully, that since that outpouring of love for you last Friday, there has been a small uptick in your prognosis?JS: Haha, I think I just had a big adrenaline rush from that one! Hard not to feel better with 209 people you love, in turn, lining up to hug you! ... [ More dialogue]Fitz: What you are going through will soon enough confront all of us, as we come face to face with our mortality. What advice do you have for us? JS: My motto is “accept, adjust, adapt”. The key is to be able to accept something that can’t be changed. Only then will you find some peace. Otherwise, it will be a battle with the unmovable. Sort out your financials so that your family will be as secure as possible, and that will give yourself a sense of relief to carry into your final days. Have as much fun as your energy levels allow!

What is at-home hospice care and how it works near NYC Medical Device News Magazine; 5/19/25 

The evolution of hospice care The Journal; by Dr. Sarah Phillips, Medical Director, Hospice of the Panhandle; 5/18/25 Historians believe that the first hospices originated in Malta around 1065, dedicated to caring for the ill and dying enroute to and from the Holy Land. The term “hospice” referred to places of shelter for travelers, particularly in medieval Europe. The moder hospice movement began to gain momentum in the 1960’s with Dame Cicely Saunders’s establishment of St. Christopher’s Hospice in London, which emphasized comfort and quality of life for patients and their families. This idea of specialized care for the dying was first introduced to the United States during a lecture at Yale University in 1963. In the early 1970’s the first national hearings on the subject of death with dignity were conducted by the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging. In 1978, the National Hospice Organization was established and the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare task force reports that “the hospice movement … is a viable concept and one which holds out a means of providing more humane care for Americans dying of terminal illness while possibly reducing costs. As such, it is the proper subject of federal support.” [Continue reading ...]

The Quilters: NetflixPersonal communication; 5/16/25The Quilters follows the daily lives of several quilters inside the sewing room at South Central Correctional Center, a Level 5 maximum-security prison in a small town two hours south of St. Louis, MO. From design to completion, the men reveal their struggles, triumphs, and sense of pride in creating something beautiful in this windowless, sacred space deep within the prison walls. Watch on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/82006530.Publisher's note: This program donates quilts to foster children in surrounding counties - similar to the quilt program at Angola Penitentiary in Louisiana that creates quilts as a fundraiser for their hospice program.

A dozen seniors at risk of being evicted from assisted living facilities in Stanislaus County NBC KCRA-3, Newman, CA; by Andres Valle; 5/15/25 The closure of two senior residential care facilities in Stanislaus County has left over a dozen older residents, including hospice patients, scrambling to find new homes with just days' notice. This decision comes after the passing of Kelsy Ramos, the licensee of Golden Age Living facilities in Turlock and Newman. Ramos, a Turlock native reported missing earlier this month, was found dead last Monday in Selma. The California Department of Social Services ordered the closure with no licensed manager in place, citing the absence of regulatory oversight. 

HHS wants input on how to improve digital health tech for Medicare patients Fierce Healthcare; by Heather Landi; 5/14/25 The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) wants feedback on how it can develop better digital health tools for Medicare beneficiaries and drive adoption. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), in partnership with HHS' health IT arm, now called the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ASTP/ONC), is seeking public input on how best to "advance a seamless, secure, and patient-centered digital health infrastructure."

'I kept going': After blindness and cancer, UT student fulfills PhD dream Ausint American-Statemen, Austin, TX; by Lily Kepner and Nicole Villalpando; 5/18/2025 Qusay Hussein has dedicated his life to advocating for refugees, marginalized people and those with disabilities. For almost a decade, he chose to drive that change at the University of Texas. Hussein is an education advocate and a doctoral student at the [University of Texas] Steve Hicks School of Social Work. He received the highest degree in the field this month, having overcome seemingly impossible barriers: a suicide bombing in Mosul, Iraq, in 2006 that left him blind and his face severely damaged; 70 reconstruction surgeries; and immigrating to the U.S. He recently finished his first book about his early years and the bombing: "Can You Open My Eyes?" He's currently writing a second book, "Between Two Worlds: From Refugee to Ph.D." ... After battling terminal kidney cancer the last two years, his dream - he told his doctors - was to walk across the graduation stage May 10, honoring the promise he made to his father that he would come to the U.S. and get an education.