38. Palliative Care in Critical Illness: Intentional & Compassionate Palliation with Dr. Anand Iyer

This podcast explores integrating palliative care into critical illness treatment, challenging common misconceptions that limit its application to end-of-life scenarios. Dr. Anand Iyer, a pulmonary and critical care physician, shares his journey into palliative care, highlighting a transformative patient encounter that shifted his focus from pulmonary research to holistic patient care. The discussion emphasizes early intervention, symptom management, and the importance of understanding a patient's values and wishes to humanize the ICU experience. Dr. Iyer advocates for communication strategies, such as using clear headlines and empathetic responses, to align care with patient-centered goals. The podcast also addresses supporting ICU staff through debriefing and fostering a team-oriented approach to palliative care.