Anesthesia for Bedside Procedures Mark Dershwitz When a patient in an intensive care unit (ICU) requires a bedside procedure, it is usually the attending intensivist, as opposed to a consultant…

Aspiration of the Knee and Synovial Fluid Analysis Bonnie J. Bidinger Maria E. Abruzzo Eric W. Jacobson Arthrocentesis is a safe and relatively simple procedure that involves the introduction of…

Percutaneous Suprapubic Cystostomy Philip J. Ayvazian Percutaneous suprapubic cystotomy is used to divert urine from the bladder when standard urethral catheterization is impossible or undesirable [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 and 10]. The procedure…

Cerebrospinal Fluid Aspiration John P. Weaver This chapter presents guidelines for safe cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) aspiration for the emergency department or the intensive care physician, and provides a basic understanding…

Endoscopic Placement of Feeding Tubes Lena M. Napolitano Indications for Enteral Feeding Nutritional support is an essential component of intensive care medicine. It has become increasingly evident that nutritional support…

Gastroesophageal Balloon Tamponade for Acute Variceal Hemorrhage Marie T. Pavini Juan Carlos Puyana Gastroesophageal variceal hemorrhage is an acute and catastrophic complication that occurs in one third to one half…

Paracentesis and Diagnostic Peritoneal Lavage Lena M. Napolitano Abdominal Paracentesis Indications Abdominal paracentesis is a simple procedure that can be easily performed at the bedside in the intensive care unit…

Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Alexander J. Eckardt Wahid Wassef Gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy has evolved into an essential diagnostic and therapeutic tool for the treatment of critically ill patients in the new millennium….

Tracheostomy Scott E. Kopec Ciaran J. McNamee The terms tracheotomy and tracheostomy are interchangeable. Derived from the Greek words tracheia arteria (rough artery) and tome (incision), tracheotomy refers to the…