214 Conversations with Families of Critically Ill Patients Margaret Isaac, J. Randall Curtis Intensive care unit (ICU) family conferences concerning the care of critically ill patients can be watershed events—clarifying…
183 Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Agents Keith M. Olsen Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have important clinical uses in selected critically ill patients for treatment of pain and inflammatory states or reduction of…
W18 Lumbar Puncture Sarice L. Bassin, Thomas P. Bleck Before Procedure Indications • Suspicion of central nervous system (CNS) infection • Suspicion of subarachnoid hemorrhage • The need to obtain…
96 Portal Hypertension Julia Wendon, Pablo Solis-Muñoz Anatomy and Physiology of the Portal System The term portal system refers to a venous system that begins and ends in capillaries. The…
W11 Thoracentesis J. Terrill Huggins, Steven A. Sahn, Peter Doelken Before Procedure Indications • Pleural effusion not explained by the clinical presentation • Massive pleural effusion with impending respiratory failure…
131 Sepsis and Multiple Organ System Failure in Children Joseph Carcillo, Jan A. Hazelzet Definitions of Sepsis, Severe Sepsis, Septic Shock, and Multiple Organ Failure The 2001 International Sepsis Definitions…
173 Calcium Channel Blocker Toxicity Daniel E. Brooks, Kenneth D. Katz Calcium channel blockers (CCBs), also referred to as calcium entry blocking agents or calcium antagonists, are commonly used in…
W6 Cardioversion and Defibrillation Raúl J. Gazmuri Before Procedure Indications • Emergency reestablishment of an organized electrical rhythm (defibrillation): • Ventricular fibrillation • Pulseless ventricular tachycardia • Narrow or wide…
107 Toxic Megacolon and Ogilvie’s Syndrome H.M. Oudemans-Van Straaten Acute megacolon refers to a syndrome presenting as marked colonic distension in the absence of mechanical obstruction. It results from disturbed…
39 Spinal Cord Injury Elizabeth A. Vitarbo, Allan D. Levi Despite substantial improvements in emergency, diagnostic, and surgical care, spinal trauma continues to present a challenging spectrum of diseases for…
