Looking for a brief but authoritative resource to help you manage the types of complex cardiac, pulmonary, and neurological emergencies you encounter as a resident or attending emergency room physician? Look no further than Decision Making in Emergency Critical Care: An Evidence-Based Handbook. This portable guide to rational clinical decision-making in the challenging – and changing – world of emergency critical care provides in every chapter a streamlined review of a common problem in critical care medicine, along with evidence-based guidelines and summary tables of landmark literature. Features Prepare for effective critical care practice in the emergency room’s often chaotic and resource-limited environment with expert guidance from fellows and attending physicians in the fields of emergency medicine, pulmonary and critical care medicine, cardiology, gastroenterology, and neurocritical care. Master critical care fundamentals as experts guide you through the initial resuscitation and the continued management of critical care patients during their first 24 hours of intensive care. Confidently make sustained, data-driven decisions for the critically ill patient using expert information on everything from hemodynamic monitoring and critical care ultrasonography to sepsis and septic shock to the ED-ICU transfer of care.

An extensive introduction to patient-centeredness in critical care through case-based examples of shared decision making.

The World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine (WFSIC- CM) has reached the age of maturity. Physicians, nurses, and many others associated with the field of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine will be coming from all corners of the world to Florence, Italy in August, 2009 to celebrate the 10th quadrennial congress. Every 4 years for the last 36 years, congresses in the magnificent venues of London (1973), Paris (1977), Washington (1981), Jerusalem (1985), Kyoto (1989), Madrid (1993), Ottawa (1997), Sydney (2001), and Buenos Aires (2005) have sig- fied an ever-developing process which has resulted in the four pillars of the field of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine, namely partnership, ethics, professionalism, and competence. The first pillar is based on a stronger interdisciplinary collaboration and a mul- professional partnership in the field of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine. In recent decades, professional activity in medicine has been regulated by well-defined, universal principles, such as the welfare of the patient, autonomy, social justice, and the patient–physician relationship. The second pillar, ethics, has offered welcomed assistance to all these principles in establishing an ethics curriculum.

The adult critical care setting requires complex clinical decisions to be made that have a dramatic impact on the lives of patients and their families. This textbook offers evidence-based case histories around shared decision making, providing practical advice to clinicians who are trying to navigate routine clinical scenarios in adult critical care. Early chapters explore the definition of the shared decision making process and practical steps that aid its implementation. The greater part of the book focuses on how shared decision making can be practiced in specific situations that are common in adult critical care, highlighting the relevant knowledge base necessary to manage each situation. Do-not-resuscitate and do-not-intubate orders, ECMO, and resolving conflicts regarding potentially inappropriate treatment are among the topics covered. An essential resource for healthcare professionals working in critical care and those looking for a framework for the use of shared decision making in this setting.

A concise guide to evidence-based approaches in neurocritical care From important aspects of the physical examination to imaging studies to treatment options and dosage guidelines, Decision Making in Neurocritical Care provides a solid introduction to the evidence-based management of patients in the neurological intensive care unit. Succinct text in a highly accessible bullet-point format details the essentials of history-taking, physical examination, differential diagnosis, diagnostic evaluation, and treatments for a range of neurological problems in the critical care setting. Special features: Brief vignettes of typical cases emphasize key questions for the physician to consider and urgent orders to be given Coverage of the basics of neurocritical care, including techniques of intubation, ventilator management, sedation, and multimodality monitoring Pearls and pitfalls highlight key points in patient management Convenient medication tables, including dosages, adverse effects, and contraindications Consistent presentation in each chapter enhances ease of use Ideal for neurologists, neurosurgeons and critical care physicians at all levels, this book is invaluable for optimizing patient care. It is also an excellent choice for board review preparation in these specialties.