Severe pre-existing disease in pregnancy
Chapter 57 Severe pre-existing disease in pregnancy Steve M. Yentis The two main sources of information about the spectrum of pre-existing conditions that result in severe morbidity in pregnancy are…
Acute calcium disorders
Chapter 54 Acute calcium disorders Balasubramanian Venkatesh Calcium is an important cation and the principal electrolyte of the body. A total of 1–2 kg is present in the average adult,…
Sedation and analgesia in children
Chapter 100 Sedation and analgesia in children Geoff Knight All children, including preterm infants, feel and remember pain and discomfort.1 Provision of adequate sedation and analgesia should therefore be a…
Heart and lung transplantation
Chapter 95 Heart and lung transplantation Cliff J. Morgan The first successful cardiac transplantation was performed at Groote Schuur, South Africa in 1967 and was followed by operations in other…
Organ donation
Chapter 93 Organ donation Stephen J. Streat Intensivists often have responsibility for the care of organ transplant recipients and have seen the benefits they obtain from transplantation. Clinical results continue…
Principles of antibiotic use
Chapter 64 Principles of antibiotic use Jeffrey Lipman The intensive care unit (ICU) is always the area of any hospital associated with the greatest use of antibiotics. Much of this…
Metabolic response to injury and infection
Chapter 86 Metabolic response to injury and infection Ian K S. Tan Injury and infection evoke in the host a hypermetabolic inflammatory response and a compensatory hypometabolic hypoimmune response. The…
Severe and multiple trauma
Chapter 66 Severe and multiple trauma James A. Judson Trauma can be defined as physical injury from mechanical energy. It is usually categorised as blunt or penetrating. In Western countries,…
Nosocomial infection
Chapter 62 Nosocomial infection Neil Soni Nosocomial or hospital-acquired infections are a major problem in hospitals, affecting up to 9% of inpatients at any one time. Intensive care units (ICUs)…
Humidification and inhalation therapy
Chapter 28 Humidification and inhalation therapy Andrew D. Bersten The upper airway normally warms, moistens and filters inspired gas. When these functions are impaired by disease, or when the nasopharynx…
