General obstetric emergencies in the ICU
Chapter 56 General obstetric emergencies in the ICU Tony Gin, Warwick D. Ngan Kee The intensive care unit (ICU) will receive obstetric patients with the usual range of medical and…
CRITICAL CARE
Pre-eclampsia and eclampsia
Chapter 55 Pre-eclampsia and eclampsia Warwick D. Ngan Kee, Tony Gin Pre-eclampsia is a syndrome specific to pregnancy. It has no definitive biomarkers and is diagnosed clinically by new onset…
Adrenocortical insufficiency in critical illness
Chapter 53 Adrenocortical insufficiency in critical illness Balasubramanian Venkatesh, Jeremy Cohen The adrenal glands form an essential part of the organism’s response to stress. Hence, in intensive care, an adequate…
Acute renal failure
Chapter 40 Acute renal failure Rinaldo Bellomo Acute renal failure (ARF) remains a major diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for the critical care physician. The term ‘ ARF’ describes a syndrome…
Neuromuscular disorders in intensive care
Chapter 49 Neuromuscular disorders in intensive care George A. Skowronski A number of disorders producing generalised neuromuscular weakness can require admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), or complicate the…
Brain death
Chapter 46 Brain death Marcus Peck, Martin Smith Most people die a ‘conventional’ death when their heart stops beating. In others the advent of intensive organ support has complicated the…
The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
Chapter 29 The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) Andrew D. Bersten The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) was first described in 1967 by Ashbaugh and colleagues as the ‘acute onset…
Status epilepticus
Chapter 43 Status epilepticus Helen Ingrid Opdam Status epilepticus (SE) is a medical emergency requiring prompt intervention to prevent the development of irreversible brain damage. The duration of seizure activity…
Abdominal surgical catastrophes
Chapter 39 Abdominal surgical catastrophes Stephen J. Streat Intra-abdominal surgical catastrophes are common conditions in intensive care units (ICUs)1 and typically occur in elderly patients with comorbidity and reduced physiological…
