• Through the blockade of skeletal muscle function, neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) cause cessation of respiratory function, mandating airway control and the institution of mechanical ventilation. NMBAs should not be…
• The preoperative evaluation, which is performed prior to any anesthetic intervention, includes a history of present illness; past medical problems, including medication allergies; a past surgical and anesthetic history;…
• Outcomes for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) patients requiring intensive care unit care have improved over the past 2 decades. • Both acute and late cardiac complications occur in…
• Because of increased bone elasticity, rib fractures are uncommon in children and indicate significant traumatic energy delivery, raising concern for injuries of underlying viscera or nonaccidental trauma. • Children…
Pearls • Development of the definitive human kidney or metanephros begins at 5 weeks’ gestation and is complete by 34 to 36 weeks’ gestation, with an average of 1 million…
• Poisoned patients are frequently encountered in the intensive care setting and often pose a diagnostic challenge. Skills in taking a history and performing a thorough physical exam, as well…
• Accidental or unintentional hypothermia is a potentially lethal complication of exposure to cold. It can occur as a result of exposure to cold air, water immersion/submersion, or snow burial….
Pearls • The inflammatory response to critical illness is highly dynamic over time, involves both innate and adaptive immunity, and includes both pro- and antiinflammatory features. • These features constitute…
Pearls • Adverse drug events (ADEs) are defined as any injury resulting from both prescribed and unintended administration of drugs, including inappropriate use or inadvertent side effects not associated with…
• Greater than 300 single-gene defects have now been associated with specific immunodeficiencies, with new disorders continually being recognized. • Chronic granulomatous disease is the most frequently diagnosed phagocytic cell…
