Handbook of Practical Critical Care Medicine

Critical care medicine is a relatively new specialty. Over the past few decades, we have seen an enormous growth in the number of inten­ sive care units (ICUs) worldwide. Medical students, residents, fellows, attending physicians, critical care nurses, pharmacists, respiratory ther­ apists, and other health-care providers (irrespective of their ultimate field of practice) will spend several months or years of their profes­ sional lives taking care of critically ill or severely injured patients.