Anesthesia Key

Hemorrhage and Hypovolemia The circulatory system operates with a relatively small volume and a volume-responsive pump. This is an energy-efficient design, but it quickly falters when volume is lost. While…

Systemic Oxygenation One of the fundamental goals of critical care management is to promote tissue oxygenation, yet it is not possible to monitor tissue oxygen levels in a clinical setting….

The Pulmonary Artery Catheter This chapter presents the spectrum of hemodynamic parameters that can be monitored with pulmonary artery catheters. The clinical applications of these parameters are described in future…

Venous Thromboembolism This chapter presents the current practices for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism (venous thromboembolism or VTE). The major focus is on prevention,…

Alimentary Prophylaxis This chapter describes the following preventive practices in the alimentary tract (which extends from the mouth to the rectum): Gastric acid suppression to prevent bleeding from stress ulcers….

The Indwelling Vascular Catheter This chapter describes the routine care and adverse consequences of indwelling vascular catheters, with emphasis on central venous catheters. I. Routine Catheter Care The recommendations for…

Central Venous Access Vascular access in critically ill patients often involves the insertion of long, flexible catheters into large veins entering the thorax or abdomen. This type of central venous…