3 Urinary Tract Infections
Pathophysiology With the exception of distal urethra, the urinary tract is normally sterile. The resistance to UTI is influenced by exposure to uropathogenic bacteria, age, hormonal status, and urine flow…
Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the Intensive Care Unit
Sepsis is an increasingly frequent indication for ICU admission, accounting for 10% to 57% of all admissions for HIV-infected patients during recent years (3–5,9,24). Other commonly reported causes of ICU…
Unusual Infections
Epidemiology Plague is primarily a rural disease that occurs in all continents except Australia (24). Although most common in rural settings in developing nations, sporadic clusters occur regularly in the…
Fungal and Viral Infections
C. albicans is the most common Candida species involved in invasive candidiasis, followed by C. glabrata, C. tropicalis, and C. parapsilosis. Other species are less common and often associated with…
Substance Abuse and Withdrawal: Alcohol, Cocaine, Opioids, and Other Drugs
Ethanol ingestion may cause acute gastritis and gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. Alcoholics have an increased incidence of peptic ulcer disease and pancreatitis; acute alcohol intoxication may precipitate alcoholic hepatitis in the…
Infections in the Immunocompromised Host
The risk of infection in corticosteroid-treated patients is related to the dose and duration of therapy (13,14). Those treated with more than 10 to 20 mg/day of prednisone for more…
Acute Respiratory Failure in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
TABLE 113.2 Severity of Breathlessness Assessment According to the Modified British Medical Research Council (mMRC) Lung Volume and Diffusing Capacity Lung volumes can be measured using whole-body plethysmography or gas…
Pulmonary Embolism
FIGURE 114.1 Outcomes in pulmonary embolism. RV, right ventricle. Risk Factors The Virchow triad of stasis, vessel trauma, and hypercoagulability remain fundamental risk factors for VTE. Furthermore, risk factors can…
Critical Care Implications in Acute Care Surgery
FIGURE 59.1 Baseline physician FTE supply and demand projections, 2006–2025. (From Center for Workforce Studies. The Complexities of Physician Supply and Demand: Projections Through 2025. Available at: http://members.aamc.org/eweb/upload/The%20Complexities%20of%20Physician%20Supply.pdf. Accessed August…
Disordered Glucose Metabolism
The result of these changes is a substantial increase in serum glucose—through increased hepatic gluconeogenesis, glycogenolysis, and lipolysis—with inappropriately decreased peripheral glucose uptake (Fig. 137.1). DKA is also associated with…
