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The Abraham Dilemma: A Divine Delusion focuses on the topic of religious delusion - on the disorder's causes, contents, consequences, diagnosis and treatment. The title argues that we cannot understand a religious delusion without appreciating three facts. One is that religiosity or spirituality is a part of human nature, whether it takes theistic or non-theistic forms. Another is that religious delusion is something to which we are all vulnerable. The third is that the delusion is not best understood by reducing it to brain chemistry, or by insisting that it is empirically false. It is best understood by examining its harmful personal and moral consequences - consequences that nearly unfolded when the biblical patriarch Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac in response to a command, he thought, from God.Less

Is free will just an illusion? What is it in the brain that allows us to pursue our own actions and objectives? What is it about this organ that permits seemingly purposeful behaviour, giving us the impression we are free? This resource takes a journey into the brain to examine what is about known voluntary behaviour, and why it can go wrong. Less

This is a comprehensive practical guide to the practice of the new subspecialty of critical care echocardiography. The text covers all aspects of clinical practice and describes how to use transthoracic echocardiography to approach and manage common clinical questions. Specific emphasis is placed on the appropriate use of clinical echocardiographic data in the context of the patient’s critical illness; this is illustrated by the frequent use of case studies including both still and moving echocardiographic images. The text covers assessment of, and disorders affecting, the left and right heart, including shock and sepsis. It also looks at how to interpret diastolic information during critical illness and the effect of that illness on valve disease and function. The important subject of fluid responsiveness is explored in detail, as is the influence of organ support and illness on the diagnosis of cardiac tamponade. The information given in the text is summarized using algorithms in a field guide for the critical care echocardiographer, which also provides a rapid guide to assessing time-critical patient presentations.Less

This resource provides information for the management of disorders occurring during sleep and brings greater awareness to the treatment of sleep disorders, as well as treatments of neurological, medical, and psychiatric disorders.Less

Acute Care Casebook provides a case-based approach to the broad practice of acute care medicine, covering a variety of common patient presentations and clinical environments. This book features over 70 illustrated cases, including presentations of trauma and medical illness in wilderness medicine, military and prehospital environments, pediatrics, emergency medicine, and intensive care unit and floor emergencies. Designed for students and trainees in medicine, nursing, emergency medical services, and other acute care specialties, this text guides readers through not only symptom evaluation and treatment but also the thought process and priorities of experienced clinicians. Each chapter features key diagnoses and management pearls from leading experts that will help prepare readers for any event, from stabilizing and transporting a trauma patient in the field, to managing postoperative complications in the intensive care unit.Less

This essential guide to the management of the acutely ill patient features expanded material on practical procedures and new information on common presentations.

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

This resource is a concise companion for health care professionals who manage patients with acute lung infections.

Diagnosis and treatment of acute stroke has advanced considerably in the past 2 decades. Most notably, in cases of ischemic stroke, intravenous alteplase has become the standard of medical treatment despite its multiple contraindications and limited time window. More recently, trials have proven that endovascular thrombectomy is superior to medical therapy alone, advancing the standard of care for patients who present with acute ischemic stroke from a large vessel occlusion and salvageable brain tissue. The treatment of hemorrhagic stroke now involves the use of novel pharmacological agents and advanced minimally invasive technology. Important changes have also occurred at the levels of hospital organization and treatment decision-making. Such changes in organization and designation of hospitals with distinct levels of stroke care and the variety of stroke protocols now requires team work of emergency medical services (EMS), Emergency Department, stroke neurologists, neurosurgeons, and neurointerventionalists. This book provides an overview of the modern medical and surgical options for the treatment of patients with acute ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. The pivotal role of EMS in prehospital evaluation and triage of a stroke patient and the levels of stroke systems of care are discussed. In addition, the current guidelines on the management of acute stroke, with the focus on early care of acute stroke patients at the Emergency Department and the first 24 hours of hospital admission, are reviewed. Each chapter contains a discussion of common clinical scenarios including initial management steps, practical points, and common pitfalls.Less