Multiple Organ Failure: Patient Care and Prevention

Abstract

ABSTRACT This is an extremely interesting and informative textbook, based primarily on Dr Baue's experience for 12 years as editor of the Archives of Surgery. This broad editorial experience has helped him provide an important historical perspective on the book's topic.He starts off with descriptions of surgical homeostasis, discussing first the metabolic and neuroendocrine responses to injury, then the various mediators; however, he only goes to interleukin-2. (It is impossible for any textbook to keep up with all the interleukins.) He includes most of the classic references for each of the topics that he discusses, and this, in itself, can be a great help to many readers and investigators.Dr Baue then describes methods for improving preoperative, operative, and postoperative care. The chapter on postoperative care describes in detail many ways to help prevent a wide variety of complications, including pulmonary insufficiency, deep venous thrombosis, and cardiovascular failure. The complications