Table of Contents

Basic science review: circulatory blood flow; respiratory gas transport; the threat of oxidant injury. Standard practices in patient care: vascular access; the indwelling vascular catheter; protecting the gastrointestinal mucosa; thromboprophylaxis; analgesia, sedation and paralysis. Haemodynamic monitoring: arterial blood pressure monitoring; the pulmonary artery catheter; cardiac filling pressures; thermodilution cardiac output; the clinical evaluation of tissue oxygenation. Disorders of the circulatory blood flow: hypovolemia; methods of fluid resuscitation; heart failure(s); circulatory arrest; haemodynamic drugs. Acute disorders: acute myocardial infraction; cardiac dysrhythmias. Acute respiratory failure: the evaluation of hypoxemia and hypercapnia; oximetry and capnography; acute respiratory distress syndrome; oxygen inhalation therapy; respiratory pharmacotherapy. Mechanical ventilation: principles of mechanical ventilation; patterns of assisted ventilation.