A concise, portable reference that focuses on the management of the ICU patient, this guide covers 138 of the most common critical care on-call problems. Each chapter includes a presenting problem, immediate questions, differential diagnosis, laboratory and other diagnostic data, and treatment plan.

"After her brother dies in a trauma room, nurse Claire Avery can no longer face the ER. She's determined to make a fresh start--new hospital, new career in nursing education--move forward, no turning back. But her plans fall apart when she's called to offer stress counseling for medical staff after a heartbreaking day care center explosion. Worse, she's forced back to the ER, where she clashes with Logan Caldwell, a doctor who believes touchy-feely counseling is a waste of time. He demands his staff be as tough as he is. Yet he finds himself drawn to this nurse educator -- who just might teach him the true meaning of healing"--P. [4] of cover.

"Doctors heal, or try to, but as nurses we step into the breach, figure out what needs to be done for any given patient today, on this shift, and then, with love and exasperation, do it as best as we can."—from Critical Care "At my job, people die," writes Theresa Brown, capturing both the burden and the singular importance of her profession. Brown, a former English professor at Tufts University, chronicles here her first year as an R.N. in medical oncology. As she does so, Brown illuminates the unique role of nurses in health care, giving us a deeply moving portrait of the day-to-day work nurses do: caring for the person who is ill, not just the illness itself. Critical Care takes us with Brown as she struggles to tend to her patients' needs, both physical (the rigors of chemotherapy) and emotional (their late-night fears). Along the way, we see the work nurses do to fight for their patients' dignity, in spite of punishing treatments and an often uncaring hospital bureaucracy. We also see how a twelve-hour day of caring for the seriously ill gives Brown herself a deeper appreciation of what it means to be alive. Ultimately, this is a book about embracing life, whether in times of sickness or health. As she takes us into the place where patients and nurses meet, Brown shows us the power of human connection in the face of mortality. She does so with a keen sense of humor and remarkable powers of observation, making Critical Care a powerful contribution to the literature of medicine.

Werner Ernst, a second-year medical resident, encounters the stark realities of the modern intensive care unit, the fears and illusions of the loved ones of the terminally ill, and the exhaustion and irony of doctors, nurses, and technicians.

This is a practical and accessible review of neurologic critical care in the intensive care unit is single-authored and thus cohesive. The emphasis is on management in day-to-day practice. For the thoroughly updated and expanded second edition, Wijdicks has added new algorithms on outcome prediction in the specific disorders, and five chapters on the organization of the intensive care unit, acute spinal disorders, management of common postoperative neurosurgical complications, and psychosocial issues, ethics, and withdrawal of life support. For quick reference in the ICU the most useful tables and figures have been extracted and reprinted in an accompanying pocket-sized booklet.

Manual of Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Second Edition presents essential information on common emergencies in small animals using a concise, practical outline format. Offering a thorough update to this classic reference, the new edition provides new chapters on orthopedic injuries and wound management, significant revisions to the treatment protocols, and expanded toxicology information, as well as new references and drug information. The book retains its logical division into two parts, the first covering initial stabilization and the second offering a systems approach to specific conditions. As in the previous edition, chapters are extensively indexed and cross-referenced to facilitate ease of use in emergency situations. With many formulas, tables, drug dosages, and illustrations, Manual of Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care Medicine is an indispensable, convenient resource for busy emergency clinicians, whether they are new graduates or seasoned professionals.

Comprehensive Critical Care: Adult is the most complete critical care textbook for any learner in adult practice. Developed by leading experts in critical care, this comprehensive textbook covers 10 topic areas, including -Neurologic Critical Care - Cardiovascular Critical Care -Respiratory Critical Care -Critical Care Infectious Disease -Hepatic, Gastrointestinal, and Hematologic/Oncologic Disease in the ICU -Renal and Metabolic Disorders in the ICU -Environmental and Toxicologic Injury - Pharmacologic Issues in the ICU -Surgical and Obstetrical Critical Care -Administrative and Ethical Issues in the Critically Ill This new resource includes up-to-date information on the full gamut of critical care topics, with dozens of charts and tables to aid study and copious references to guide further reading.