Anaesthesia, pain, intensive care and emergency - A.P.I.C.E. : proceedings of the 21st postgraduate course in critical care medicine, Venice-Mestre, Italy - November 10-13, 2006

Developing sectors in the Intensive Care field – and in Critical Care Medicine in general – require specific levels of competence having a same common denominator: an in-depth knowledge of human pathophysiology. Although this volume presents plenty of topics in constant evolution, as witnessed by the collection of chapters compiled by several researchers, this edition includes, in particular, fields in which decision-making at the patient’s bedside prevails over theoretical argumentation. In other words, the first and foremost message this edition wants to provide is for the reader to focus his/her attention on evidence-based medicine. Front Matter....Pages I-XX Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Dying in the Intensive Care Unit....Pages 3-7 Front Matter....Pages 9-9 Genetics and molecular biology in acute lung injury....Pages 11-17 Lung, respiratory mechanics, artificial ventilation....Pages 19-27 The pressure-volume curve....Pages 29-40 Methods for assessing expiratory flow limitation during tidal breathing....Pages 41-52 How to ventilate brain-injured patients in respiratory failure....Pages 53-67 Helping surgical patients to give up smoking....Pages 69-74 Respiratory issues and ventilatory strategies for morbidly obese patients....Pages 75-83 Front Matter....Pages 85-85 Fluid and electrolyte emergency....Pages 87-96 Electrolyte emergencies, anion gap, osmolality....Pages 97-108 Acute renal failure....Pages 109-128 Acute liver failure....Pages 129-140 Front Matter....Pages 141-141 Pneumonia in ventilated patients. Severe Gram negative infections; the impact on mortality and its prevention....Pages 143-153 Gram-positive ventilator-associated pneumonia: impact on mortality....Pages 155-161 Fungal infections in the ICU....Pages 163-170 Focus on the diagnosis and treatment of severe meningitis....Pages 171-179 Plasma filtration in sepsis: a research protocol....Pages 181-188 Front Matter....Pages 189-189 The cell in shock....Pages 191-202 Tissue partial pressure of carbon dioxide tension measurements and microcirculation visualisation. New techniques for the study of low flow states....Pages 203-214 Ventricular fibrillation and defibrillation: contemporary understanding of mechanisms....Pages 215-224 Front Matter....Pages 189-189 Arterial waveform analysis to determine cardiovascular parameters....Pages 225-236 The Utstein style for the reporting of data from cardiac arrest....Pages 237-245 Challenges in trauma care....Pages 247-255 Advances in trauma care....Pages 257-278 Front Matter....Pages 279-279 Standards of care in operating theatres....Pages 281-290 Audit....Pages 291-299 Focus on entropy and surgical stress index....Pages 301-317 Neuraxial anaesthesia and anticoagulation....Pages 319-324 Regional anaesthesia in the patient with pre-existing neurological dysfunction....Pages 325-336 Infectious complications of regional anaesthesia....Pages 337-343 The Mayo Clinic total joint analgesic pathway....Pages 345-352 Acute therapy in patients with wide-QRS complex tachyarrhythmias....Pages 353-362 Front Matter....Pages 363-363 Obstetrics at high risk....Pages 365-375 Resuscitation of the newborn....Pages 377-384 Regional anaesthesia in neonates....Pages 385-395 Locoregional anaesthesia in children....Pages 397-404 Management of CRRT in paediatrics....Pages 405-412 Severity scores in paediatric intensive care units....Pages 413-420 Analgesia and sedation during mechanical ventilation in paediatrics....Pages 421-433 Front Matter....Pages 435-435 Latency reduction in clinical and translational research....Pages 437-446 Front Matter....Pages 447-447 New frontiers in critical bleeding....Pages 449-454 Evaluation of performance of ICUs....Pages 455-464 Back Matter....Pages 465-475 Developing sectors in the Intensive Care field - and in Critical Care Medicine in general - require specific levels of competence having a same common denominator: an in-depth knowledge of human pathophysiology. Although this volume presents plenty of topics in constant evolution, as witnessed by the collection of chapters compiled by several researchers, this edition includes, in particular, fields in which decision making at the patient's bedside prevails over theoretical argumentation. In other words, the first and foremost message this edition wants to provide, is for the reader to focus his/her attention on evidence-based medicine