Care of patients with multisystem trauma is challenging. Although well-defined constellations of injury exist, ultimately each patient is unique in preinjury health, injury complex, and postinjury management. Because many injuries…
Solid organ transplantation is the surgical procedure in which an organ is removed from a one body (donor) and placed into another body (recipient). Solid organs that have been successfully…
The United States is experiencing considerable growth in its elderly population. In 2050, the population of elderly people aged 65 years and over is projected to be 83.7 million, almost…
The focus of this chapter is on concepts in the perioperative period germane to general thoracic surgery. Areas that will be covered include preoperative pulmonary reserve assessment, prevention of postoperative…
Each year, more than 500,000 cardiac surgery procedures are performed in the United States, and, until recently, this number continued to grow annually. Cardiac surgical patients are routinely admitted to…
Caring for the pregnant patient who requires a surgical procedure is challenging. The effects of anesthetics on the developing fetus continues to evolve and issues concerning the pregnant patient have…
Introduction Surgical site infections (SSIs) are now the most common cause of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), accounting for approximately 20% of all HAIs in hospitalized patients. Approximately 160,000–300,000 SSIs occur each…
Introduction Neural function is essential to human existence. Thus, loss of any neural element in the course of a critical illness represents a major loss to a given individual. Neurons…
Introduction Acute spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating medical condition because of the impact of permanent disability produced by paraplegia or quadriplegia. Treatment of the initial injury and reintegration…
Introduction Multiple advances in perioperative techniques, especially the maturation of cardiopulmonary bypass, have allowed the practice of cardiac surgery to develop rapidly. Despite these advances that have enabled contemporary cardiac…
