Core Cases in Critical Care

This excellent book consists of 20 chapters covering a wide array of clinical conditions encountered in the intensive care unit (ICU). The range of subjects dealt with is extensive, from respiratory failure attributable to a wide variety of causes to the surgical and postoperative patients who may require ICU admission. Each chapter has a basic framework consisting of a short description of the problem followed by the pathology and pathophysiology, therapeutic goals and options, and the usual outcomes. This is followed by key learning points and references for further reading. The fundamentals of the topic are covered comprehensively in each chapter, while recent developments and controversies are discussed in brief, providing a good overview.

Core Cases in Critical Care describes the clinical management of some of the most common problems seen in the critically ill patient. Twenty detailed, illustrative case histories are presented and for each, descriptions of the problem, its underlying pathophysiology and the key principles of principles of patient management are given. Each 'case' is written by experts in the field, and all contributors are practising anaesthetists and critical care specialists of many years' experience. Core Case in Critical Care is essential reading for all trainees in critical care, and will also prove a valuable addition to the libraries of other groups such as critical care nurses, surgical trainees and practising critical care physicians and anaesthetists, both as a useful summary of key topics in critical care in an easily-digested format, and as a stimulus for discussion and analysis of current practice.