55 Indications for and Management of Tracheostomy Bradley D. Freeman Tracheostomy is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in critically ill patients who require prolonged mechanical ventilation.1 A…

126 Prevention and Control of Nosocomial Pneumonia Richard G. Wunderink Preventing pneumonia in the critically ill is a daunting task, and even controlling the incidence is difficult. Despite this, many…

32 Coma Joerg-Patrick Stübgen, Fred Plum, Patrick Kochanek Altered states of consciousness are a common reason for visits to the emergency room and admission to intensive care units (ICUs). Few…

27 Chest Pain James M. Dargin, David T. Huang Chest pain in the intensive care unit (ICU) is a somewhat different entity from chest pain seen in the office, inpatient…

21 Coagulopathy Sandro Rizoli, William C. Aird Hemostasis is a dynamic and highly complex process typically divided into two components: primary and secondary. Primary hemostasis refers to the blood vessel…

9 Acute Respiratory Failure Lakshmipathi Chelluri, Robert Pousman Acute respiratory failure is one of the leading causes of admission to an intensive care unit (ICU). Behrendt et al. reported that the…

64 Pulmonary Hypertension Lewis J. Rubin Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is defined as a pulmonary artery mean pressure (PAPm) of 25 mm Hg or greater and may be precapillary or postcapillary in etiology….

63 Other Embolic Syndromes Claus-Martin Muth, Erik S. Shank The presentation, pathophysiology, and treatment of embolic disease other than thromboembolic processes are discussed in this chapter. Included are emboli associated…

59 Aspiration Pneumonitis and Pneumonia Paul E. Marik Aspiration is defined as the misdirection of oropharyngeal or gastric contents into the larynx and lower respiratory tract.1 The pulmonary syndromes that…

37 Neuromuscular Disorders in the ICU Vern C. Juel, Thomas P. Bleck Abnormal neuromuscular function may precipitate a patient’s admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) or may develop as…