During the past decade there has been a considerable expansion in the understanding, assessment and treatment of critically ill patients. An attempt to portray our present knowledge of this diverse field in a comprehensive textbook is therefore a formidable and daunting undertaking. However, many colleagues in different disciplines and from different countries convinced us of the need for such a work and, greatly encouraged by their interest, we embarked upon the project. Any single text, even a very long one, cannot cover every aspect of critical illness. Our first task was, therefore, to define those areas of the subject that had to be included. This we did on a systematic basis, and although the final emphasis of the book is very largely directed to clinical matters, we felt it pertinent to include in some detail accounts of relevant physiology and technology. Care of the Critically Ill Patient is divided into twelve sections, each concerned with major facets of critical illness; each of the sixty-eight chapters includes a topical and often extensive bibliography. The many chosen contributors form an international group of specialists whose combined expertise embraces the topics that we have selected.

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Section A Applied Physiology.- 1 Measurement and Control of Cardiac Output.- 2 The Systemic and Pulmonary Circulations.- 3 Pulmonary Ventilation and Gas Exchange.- 4 Oxygen Transport and Consumption.- 5 Fluid and Electrolyte Balance.- 6 Acid-Base Balance.- 7 Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism.- 8 Regulation of Body Temperature in Man.- Section B Cardiovascular Disorders.- 9 Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).- 10 Cardiac Arrhythmias and Their Treatment.- 11 The Pathophysiology of Shock.- 12 The Management of Shock.- 13 The Diagnosis and Management of Pulmonary Embolism.- 14 Hypertensive Crises.- 15 The Management of Unstable Angina Pectoris.- 16 Cardiovascular Pharmacology.- Section C Respiratory Disorders.- 17 Acute Respiratory Failure.- 18 Pathophysiologic Pathways of the Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome.- 19 Severe Asthma.- 20 Intermittent and Continuous Positive Pressure Ventilation.- 21 Equipment for Respiratory Therapy.- 22 Respiratory Physiotherapy.- 23 Respiratory Pharmacology.- Section D Renal, Electrolyte, and Metabolic Disorders.- 24 Acute Renal Failure.- 25 Fluid and Electrolyte Disorders.- 26 Nutritional Failure.- 27 Acute Liver Failure and Encephalopathy.- 28 Acute Pancreatitis.- 29 Acute Gastro-intestinal Lesions and Acute Mesenteric Ischaemia.- Section E Haematological Disorders.- 30 Disorders of Haemostasis.- 31 Blood and Blood Products.- 32 Plasma Substitutes.- Section F Endocrine Disorders.- 33 Diabetic Coma.- 34 Endocrine Emergencies.- Section G Trauma.- 35 Multiple Injuries.- 36 Head Injuries.- 37 Acute Cervical Spinal Cord Injuries.- 38 Care of Burns.- 39 Electrical Injury.- 40 Drowning and Near-Drowning.- 41 Snakebites.- Section H Neurological Disorders.- 42 Coma.- 43 Cerebral Oedema.- 44 Brain Resuscitation.- 45 Brain Death or Coma Dépassé.- 46 Status Epilepticus.- 47 Psychiatric Aspects of Intensive Care.- Section I Acute Poisoning and Disturbances of Temperature Regulation.- 48 The Principles of Management of Acute Poisoning.- 49 Management of Specific Poisonings.- 50 Accidental Hypothermia.- 51 Hyperthermia.- Section J Infection and Sepsis.- 52 Hospital-Acquired Infections.- 53 Management of Sepsis.- 54 Opportunistic Lung Infections in the Compromised Host.- 55 Tetanus.- Section K Methods of Investigation.- 56 Monitoring Equipment and Unit Design.- 57 Techniques for Investigating Cardiovascular Function.- 58 Techniques for Assessing Respiratory Function.- 59 Assessment of Renal Function.- 60 Radiology.- 61 Nuclear Imaging.- 62 Blood Gas Analysis.- Section L Paediatric Problems.- 63 Temperature Regulation in Sick Infants.- 64 Monitoring the Sick Infant.- 65 Principles of Neonatal Intensive Care.- 66 The Newborn Respiratory Distress Syndrome.- 67 Acute Renal Failure in Infancy and Childhood.- 68 Nutritional Problems.- Appendix List of Abbreviations.