The High Risk Patient: Management of the Critically III

Abstract

This nearly 1800-page text provides a novel approach to the intensive care unit (ICU) patient, whom the editors have attempted to place within the continuum of hospitalized patients. Major sections of the book are further divided into preICU, ICU, and post-ICU sections. In addition, The High Risk Patient is timely in its attempt to provide detailed information for prognostic and predictive efforts. Practical references to meta-analysis, APACHE (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation) severity scoring, and biostatistics are found throughout. Additionally, interrelated issues of critical care, such as nutrition and respiratory failure, are cross-linked. This text is unique in several areas, one of which is a detailed discussion of the skin as a critical organ. In addition, the chapters on minimizing the risk of liability and Forgoing Life Support or Death Prolonging Therapy are both current and relevant and can serve as a nidus for discussion in many ICUs. Particularly