Critical care medicine is a relatively new specialty. Over the past few decades, we have seen an enormous growth in the number of intenÂ- sive care units (ICUs) worldwide. Medical students, residents, fellows, attending physicians, critical care nurses, pharmacists, respiratory therÂ- apists, and other health-care providers (irrespective of their ultimate field of practice) will spend several months or years of their profesÂ- sional lives taking care of critically ill or severely injured patients. These clinicians must have special training, experience, and compeÂ- tence in managing complex problems in their patients. In addition, they must interpret the data obtained by many kinds of monitoring devices, and they must integrate this information with their knowlÂ- edge of the pathophysiology of disease. This handbook was written for every practitioner engaged in critiÂ- cal care medicine. We have attempted to present basic and generally accepted clinical information and some important formulas as well as laboratory values and tables that we feel will be useful to the practiÂ- tioner of critical care medicine. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the ICU. Chapters 2 through 18 follow an outline format and are divided by organ system (i. e. , neurologic disorders, cardiovascular disÂ- orders), as well as special topics (i. e. , environmental disorders, trauma, toxicology). In addition, many of these chapters review some useful facts and formulas systematically. Finally, Chapters 19 and 20 supply lists of pharmacologic agents and dosages commonly used in the ICU and laboratory values relevant to the ICU.
