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.

Events in a neurological intensive care unit are not always predictable and patients can often be unstable. This practical manual is a clear and concise guide for recognising and managing neurological emergencies. Each chapter covers a crucial topic in neurocritical care, from understanding the pathophysiology of various neurological diseases, to neuroradiology used in diagnosis, and best practice for difficult decision making in the ICU. A variety of conditions are described such as haemorrhage (intracerebral, subdural, and subarachnoid), seizures, trauma and temperature dysregulation. An international team of experts have contributed chapters, providing a breadth of experience and knowledge for readers. This is an invaluable guide for clinicians on the front line of caring for patients with neurological emergencies who need life-saving answers quickly.

An authoritative and comprehensive review of the most important clinical issues facing critically ill neurologic and neurosurgical patients. The authors provide pertinent basic, clinical, diagnostic, and management guidelines for all the conditions commonly encountered in the neurocritical care unit, including the management of autonomic disorders that require critical care, postoperative management, and endovascular treatment. The authors also discuss the latest developments in the monitoring of different body systems, emphasizing the management of cardiorespiratory complications and other medical conditions that may threaten the patient's life. Also detailed are the concepts of intracranial physiology and current neuromonitoring techniques, subjects whose understanding is basic to effective management of critically ill neurologic patients. Numerous tables, figures, diagrams, and radiographs simplify and explicate both the diagnostic and therapeutic processes.

Companion to: Neurologic complications of critical illness / Eelco F.M. Wijdicks. 3rd ed. 2009.

This book offers valuable guidance to neurointensivists, other neurocritical care staff, and those desiring to develop a neurocritical care unit via a thorough discussion of neurological emergencies and neurocritical care unit organization. This comprehensive volume begins with a review of acute neurological emergencies as managed clinically in the neurocritical care unit. Topics include acute cerebrovascular, neurological, and neurosurgical disorders. The unique aspect of this book is its description of the organization of the neurocritical care unit. We focus on how other services in the hospital interact with and assist neurocritical care operations, telemedicine/telestroke, and neurocritical care personnel and their roles. A review of expected outcomes of neurocritical care conditions is also included. Neurointensivists, neurocritical care unit staff leadership, hospital administrators, and those interested in developing a neurocritical care unit will find Neurointensive Care Unit: Clinical Practice and Organization to be an invaluable guide.

This book is written, mainly, for the neurologist working in, or directing, a specialized neurointensive care unit (neurointensivists), as well as other specialists including stroke neurologists, neurosurgeons, pulmonary/critical care specialists, anesthesiologists, nurse practitioners, critical care registered nurses, and therapists all working together towards improved neurologic recovery.We hope this book can provide a new addition to the emerging literature of critical care neurology, and heighten the recognition by general medical and surgical intensivists of the importance and complexities of nervous system dysfunction in critically ill and injured patients.

Critical Care Neurology, Part I: Neurocritical Care focuses on the care specialists and general neurologists that consult in the ICU and their work with patients in acute, life-threatening situations who are dealing with neurologic or neurosurgical crises emanating from either a preexisting neurologic syndrome or from a new neurologic complication appearing as a result of another medical or surgical critical illness. These two separate clinical situations form the pillars of neurocritical care, hence these practices are addressed via two separate, but closely related, HCN volumes. Chapters in both focus on pathophysiology and management, and are tailored for both general neurologists and active neurocritical specialists, with a specific focus on management over diagnostics. Part I addresses the principles of neurocritical care and the management of various neurologic diseases. Part II addresses the interplay between neurologic complications and the surgical, medical, cardiac, and trauma of critical illnesses that most typically present in the ICU. Provides an essential neurocritical care overview for general neurologists Presents neurocritical care specialists with an update on severe neurological illness management Offers coverage of all the most frequent neurologic diseases requiring intensive care Includes chapters authored by global leaders in the field, providing the broadest, most expert coverage available on the topics discussed