Enteral and parenteral nutrition
Chapter 87 Enteral and parenteral nutrition Richard Leonard It is standard practice to provide nutritional support to critically ill patients, in order to • treat existing malnutrition • minimise wasting…
CRITICAL CARE
HIV and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
Chapter 60 HIV and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome Steve Wesselingh, Martyn AH. French HIV REPLICATION Human immunodeficiency viruses (HIVs) 1 and 2 are retroviruses of the Lentivirus group. Like other…
Renal replacement therapy
Chapter 41 Renal replacement therapy Rinaldo Bellomo When acute renal failure (ARF) is severe, resolution can take several days or weeks. During this time, the kidneys cannot maintain homeostasis of…
Envenomation
Chapter 76 Envenomation James Tibballs Envenomation by species of snakes, spiders, ticks, bees, ants, wasps, jellyfish, octopuses or cone shell snails may threaten life, while envenomation by other creatures may…
Cerebral protection
Chapter 45 Cerebral protection Victoria Heaviside, Michelle Hayes The cerebral circulation is arguably the most important and most vulnerable in the body. Arrest of the circulation for only a few…
Vasodilators and antihypertensives
Chapter 83 Vasodilators and antihypertensives John A. Myburgh Vasodilators are a generic group of drugs that are primarily used in the intensive care unit (ICU) for the management of acute…
Sedation, analgesia and muscle relaxation in the intensive care unit
Chapter 81 Sedation, analgesia and muscle relaxation in the intensive care unit Peter V. van Heerden Despite the widespread use of sedative and analgesic agents in the intensive care unit…
Thermal disorders
Chapter 74 Thermal disorders Anwar Hussein Body temperature is normally very tightly controlled by a balance between heat production and heat loss, through a complex feedback mechanism involving the thermoregulatory…
Acute cerebrovascular complications
Chapter 44 Acute cerebrovascular complications Bernard Riley Cerebrovascular disease is common and its acute manifestations, known as stroke, produce considerable morbidity and mortality. Stroke is defined as an acute focal…
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…
