186 Sedatives and Hypnotics Debra J. Skaar, Craig R. Weinert Rationale for Sedative Use in the Intensive Care Unit Medications are commonly administered to critically ill patients to diminish fundamental…

130 Septic Shock Jean-Louis Vincent Incidence Septic shock is the form of acute circulatory shock that occurs secondary to severe infection. The incidence of severe sepsis and septic shock is…

211 Management of the Brain Dead Organ Donor Krista Turner Transplantation is an increasingly utilized treatment option for patients with organ failure. In 2009, 28,465 organs were transplanted in the…

227 Evidence-Based Critical Care Mary E. Hartman, John A. Kellum, Derek C. Angus The practice of critical care, like all fields of medicine, is changing constantly, and the pace of…

147 Tetanus C. Louise Thwaites, Lam M. Yen Tetanus is caused by toxin from the bacterium Clostridium tetani and is characterized by muscle rigidity, spasms, and disturbance of the autonomic…

W13 Fiberoptic Bronchoscopy Massimo Antonelli, Giuseppe Bello Before Procedure Indications • Diagnostic uses: • To assess the patency and anatomy of the upper airway • To evaluate problems associated with…

164 Hyperglycemia and Blood Glucose Control Dieter Mesotten, Greet Van Den Berghe Altered Glucose Regulation in Stress At the end of the 19th century, Claude Bernard described the link between…

205 Management of Pain, Anxiety, and Delirium Christopher G. Hughes, E. Wesley Ely, Pratik P. Pandharipande Pain, anxiety, and delirium are extremely common in the ICU, where they are often…

132 Acute Bloodstream Infection Walter Zingg, Philippe Eggimann, Didier Pittet Acute bloodstream infection, which may be primary or secondary and community-acquired or nosocomial, is one of the most severe forms…

166 Thyroid Gland Disorders Angela M. Leung, Alan P. Farwell Thyroid storm and myxedema coma are life-threatening emergencies that represent the extreme ends of the spectrum of thyroid dysfunction in…