100 Hepatopulmonary Syndrome David Kaufman, Anne Marie Mattingly Definition Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is defined by abnormal oxygen exchange in association with intrapulmonary vascular dilatation (IPVD) in patients with liver disease.1…
90 Pathophysiology and Classification of Shock States Mark E. Astiz Pathophysiology of Shock Circulatory shock represents a final common pathway of cardiovascular failure. The mortality rate remains high, particularly for…
192 Mediastinitis Robert G. Johnson Mediastinitis includes a variety of thoracic infections that occur in the space between the sternum and the spine, above the diaphragm and below the thoracic…
136 Head and Neck Infections Jeremy D. Gradon Infections of the head and neck range in severity from minor to life threatening. The intensivist is called upon to manage such…
191 Resuscitation of Hypovolemic Shock James Kasiewicz, Juan Carlos Puyana Fluids have been given intravenously (IV) for the management of fluid deficits for more than 100 years. In 1883, the…
106 Ileus and Mechanical Bowel Obstruction Rajeev Dhupar, Juan B. Ochoa Definition Ileus is defined as the absence of physiologic motility of the bowel leading to a disturbance in the…
187 Toxic Inhalants Kurt Kleinschmidt, Evan Schwarz Toxic inhalants include chemicals used for many reasons in many settings. They differ in structure and produce their effects through various mechanisms. People…
216 Basic Ethical Principles in Critical Care Thomas A. Bledsoe, Mitchell M. Levy Foundations of Ethics in Critical Care Ethics in critical care is based on four fundamental principles: (1)…
176 Clinical Use of Immunosuppressants Kristine S. Schonder, Robert J. Weber, John J. Fung, Thomas E. Starzl Advances in molecular biology and immunology have provided for greater understanding of the…
