Indications for central venous cannulation in critically ill patients have increased dramatically, but central venous access has the drawbacks of morbidity and a scarcity of experienced operators. Ultrasound-guided peripheral venous access offers a solution, in that it reduces morbidity and can be performed by a dedicated nursing team. The aim of this book is to teach the fundamentals of this emerging technique. Advice is provided on choice of materials; maneuvers for positioning of peripherally inserted central venous catheters (PICCs), techniques for evaluation of PICC tip placement; prevention, diagnosis, and management of complications; and organization of a dedicated team within a hospital or a supportive care program. Legal and economic issues are also considered. The book will be of interest to a wide range of professionals, including nutritionists, oncologists, anesthesiologists, surgeons, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians, physician assistants, and radiologists.

Severe asthma is a form of asthma that responds poorly to currently available medication, and its patients represent those with greatest unmet needs. In the last 10 years, substantial progress has been made in terms of understanding some of the mechanisms that drive severe asthma; there have also been concomitant advances in the recognition of specific molecular phenotypes. This ERS Monograph covers all aspects of severe asthma – epidemiology, diagnosis, mechanisms, treatment and management – but has a particular focus on recent understanding of mechanistic heterogeneity based on an analytic approach using various ‘omics platforms applied to clinically well-defined asthma cohorts. How these advances have led to improved management targets is also emphasised. This book brings together the clinical and scientific expertise of those from around the world who are collaborating to solve the problem of severe asthma.

This reference presents detailed discussions of the history, pathology, pathophysiology, and approaches to treatment of the complicated, constantly evolving syndromes known as thrombotic thromocytopenic purpura (TTP), from many different points of view. Hemolytic Uremic syndrome and Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura offers: extensive analyses of the relationship between HUS and TTP; epidemiological studies of HUS from the UK, Canada, Asia, South Africa and Argentina; investigations of non-renal complications of HUS; perspectives on atypical HUS and post-transplantation HUS; delineations of the association between verotoxin and HUS, HUS and pregnancy, and HUS and cancer and cancer tharapy; information on HUS/TTP in HIV-infected patients; explications of the pathology and pathogenesis of HUS; and approaches to treatment of HUS, prognosis, and long-term follow-up.;In addition, it covers the history and pathogenesis of TTP, von Willebrand factor abnormalities in TTP and HUS, platelet agglutinating proteins in TTP, and the treatment of TTP.;With over 2000 literature citations and figures, this book is for nephrologists, hematologists, oncologists, paediatricians, pathologists, gastroenterologists, internists, endocrinologists, infectious disease specialists, neurologists, gynaecologists, microbiologists, surgeons, geneticsts, epidemiologists, radiologists, and medical school students in these disciplines.

AudioLearn's Medical School Crash Courses presents Critical and Intensive Care Medicine. Written by experienced professors and professionally narrated by a medical doctor for accuracy, this crash course is a valuable tool both during school and when preparing for the USMLE, or if you're simply interested in the subject of critical and intensive care medicine. The audio is focused and high-yield, covering the most important topics you might expect to learn in a typical medical school critical and intensive care medicine course. Included are both capsule and detailed explanations of critical issues and topics you must know to master critical and intensive care medicine. The material is accurate, up-to-date, and broken down into bite-sized sections. There is a "Q&A" and a "key takeaways" section following each chapter to review questions commonly tested and drive home key points. In this course, we'll cover the following topics: Introduction to critical care Acid-base disorders Pulmonary Cardiovascular disorders Nephrology and electrolyte disorders Gastrointestinal diseases Neurology Endocrine Infectious diseases Toxicology Trauma Nutrition Special topics Also included is a comprehensive test containing the top 100 most commonly tested questions in critical and intensive care medicine with the correct answers. AudioLearn's Medical School Crash Courses support your studies, help with USMLE preparation, and provide a comprehensive audio review of the topic matter for anyone interested in what medical students are taught in a typical medical school critical and intensive care medicine course.

Unrelieved chronic pain is a worldwide epidemic Chronic pain has been subject to multiple international initiatives through the World Health Organization. Interventional Pain Medicine, the use of minimally invasive techniques to relieve pain, is the best approach when simpler measures such as physical therapy or medications fail. However, these procedures can be associated with significant risk and expense. Establishing uniformity in diagnostic criteria and procedural performance can reduce both morbidity and unnecessary procedures, and hence healthcare expenditures. While other texts explain how to perform these procedures, little focus has been given to diagnostic considerations: if and when these procedures should be performed. Evidence-Based Interventional Pain Medicine focuses on a balance between effectiveness and safety of interventional management for specific diagnoses, across all areas of chronic pain including: Head, neck and shoulder pain Lower back pain Neuropathic pain syndromes Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Pain in patients with cancer Vascular and visceral pain Evidence-Based Interventional Pain Medicine provides essential knowledge for anyone who uses, or intends to use, interventional pain techniques.