Critical care resources should be allocated in ways that promote high-quality care, defined by the Institute of Medicine as care that is safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable. However,…
The critically ill patient in the intensive care unit (ICU) is at risk for arterial and venous thromboembolic events, including pulmonary embolism (PE), deep venous thrombosis (DVT), and acute coronary…
Transfusion of blood products is one of the most common therapies ordered in the intensive care unit (ICU). It is estimated that 4 million patients are transfused a total of…
Status epilepticus (SE) may be defined as continuous clinical and/or electrographic seizures lasting at least 5 minutes or recurrent discrete seizures without interictal recovery of consciousness. It is a medical…
Alterations in the gut and immune function are proposed to play an important role in the pathophysiology and progression of critical illness, especially in sepsis. Because the treatment of most…
Anabolism is the enzymatic process by which nutrients and energy are used to synthesize molecules in living cells. In contrast, catabolism involves chemical reactions that lead to the degradation of…
The critically ill pregnant woman presents many challenges to the intensivist, who must consider the needs of both mother and fetus in clinical decision-making. Fortunately, the need for critical care…
Exsanguinating hemorrhage is a major cause of death from trauma. Rapid fluid resuscitation accompanied by aggressive efforts at hemostasis is required to save lives. Many questions regarding fluid resuscitation remain….
Abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) is defined by the presence of organ dysfunction that can be attributed to elevated intra-abdominal pressure (IAP). ACS is the end result of a cumulative increase…
Globally increased metabolism fuels critical illness. The body provides and consumes basic substrates taken from its own structures to run at an accelerated metabolic rate, a rate that cannot be…
