Clinical Medicine

This title covers the fundamentals of pain, the pharmacology of drugs used, and summarises the current evidence base for the management of acute pain.

Acute Pain Medicine tackles a large array of diagnostic and treatment consideration across a variety of surgical and nonsurgical acute pain conditions. It reviews a variety of acute pain–modulating factors followed by interventional and pharmacologic treatment options. For each applicable condition, perineural and neuraxial considerations are given when appropriate along with nociceptive anatomic complements. Pharmacologic modalities are described, stressing the use of multimodal analgesia and a variety of opioid-based options if necessary. The book reviews cases that commonly are associated with significant acute pain but also highlight the role of acute pain medicine physicians in the postdischarge phase. Finally, the book includes a critical update of the Military Advanced Regional Anesthesia and Analgesia handbook. This update serves as an essential bedside tool in the performance of regional anesthetic techniques and their corresponding anatomic considerations.Less

Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) is the standard of care for management of critically ill patients with acute renal failure. Part of the Pittsburgh Critical Care series, Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy provides concise, evidence-based, bedside guidance about this treatment modality, offering quick reference answers to clinicians' questions about treatments and situations encountered in daily practice. Organized into sections on theory, practice, special situations, and organizational issues, this volume provides a complete view of CRRT theory and practice. Tables summarize and highlight key points, and key studies and trials are included in each chapter. The second edition has been updated to include a new chapter on the use of biomarkers to aid in patient selection and timing, extensive revisions on terminology and nomenclature to match current standards, and the most up-to-date information on newly developed CRRT machines.Less

End of life care in the ICU presents its own unique challenges, and this resource highlights real clinical issues which need to be addressed if quality palliative care within ICUs is to be consistently delivered.Less

Kidney disease is a crippling disease that affects approximately ten percent of the population worldwide, with more than 2.6 million individuals estimated to receive renal replace therapy. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is fast becoming a major public health issue even in resource poor settings, with some estimates predicting a disproportionate increase in countries such as China and India. Consequently, renal protection has become a vital and critical component of prevention. While observational data suggests that awareness remains low, the concept of renal protection is currently under-recognized in promoting recovery as well as preventing further renal loss. Kidney Protection: Strategies for Renal Preservation is a clinically applicable review of the current medical care and research that aims to address the awareness gap. The authors combine renal protection research and clinical practices with an interdisciplinary approach that is inclusive of nephrology,urology, critical care, anesthesia, emergency medicine and clinical medicine.Written by experts in the field of nephrology, the authors have also included applicable photographs and line drawings. The specific topics covered include: protection of the kidneys in hypertension, diabetes and heart disease, exposure to contrast including coronary angiogram, atherosclerosis, and more. This handbook is formatted to emphasize clinical practice points and major systemic illnesses. Additionally, it features the latest evidence-based practice guidelines for optimal renal outcomes, thus, making it a concise reference for the busy clinician interested in understanding the basics of kidney disease assessment, renal injury prevention, and renal preservation.Less

Neurocritical Care provides “at the bedside” guidance on the medical knowledge and technical skills required to care for critically ill patients with neurologic conditions such as cerebrovascular disorders, neurotrauma, neuro-oncology, refractory seizures, neuromuscular diseases, infections, alterations in consciousness, and perioperative neurosurgical care. It provides information on the clinical conditions, basic and advanced neuro-monitoring, and addresses some unique special populations. Part of the Pittsburgh Critical Care Medicine series, this compact volume is an ideal reference for physicians and trainees working in either a general intensive care unit or specialty neurointensive care unit. Readers will gain an understanding of background knowledge and concrete solutions to questions and situations encountered in daily practice.Less

Clinicians caring for patients are challenged by the task of protecting the brain and spinal cord in high-risk situations. These include following cardiac arrest, in critical care settings, and during complex procedural and surgical care. This book provides a comprehensive overview of various types of neural injury commonly encountered in critical care and perioperative contexts and the neuroprotective strategies used to optimize clinical outcomes. In addition to introductory chapters on the physiologic modulators of neural injury and pharmacologic neuroprotectants, the topics covered include: imaging assessment; tissue biomarker identification; monitoring; assessment of functional outcomes and postoperative cognitive decline; traumatic brain injury; cardiac arrest and heart-related issues such as valvular and coronary artery bypass surgery, aortic surgery and stenting, and vascular and endovascular surgery; stroke; intracerebral hemorrhage; mechanical circulatory support; sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome; neonatal issues; spinal cord injury and spinal surgery; and issues related to general, orthopedic, peripheral vascular, and ear, nose and throat surgeries.Less

Metabolic and electrolyte disorders can pose special challenges to physicians caring for the critically ill patients. Constrained by time and circumstances, clinicians require rapid access to information to help assess and manage these often life-threatening conditions. This resource presents an easy-to-use roadmap, emphasizing the interactions among problems and suggesting clear lines of action. Keeping the physiopathological mechanisms to the essential, and maintaining an uncluttered format, each chapter provides guidelines to understanding "how did we get here" and "what should we do now", as quickly and safely as possible. Chapters describe clinical presentation and management of the most common renal, electrolyte, acid-base, metabolic and endocrine disorders, complicating the course of critically ill patients. Less