Abstract

Specialists in anaesthesia, analgesia and critical care contribute their expertise to a wide range of clinical cases, from minor surgical procedures through to the most challenging and complex operations, in the emergency situation and in the long term care of the critically ill. To meet the challenges that these cases present the specialty continues to advance and embrace new technologies and procedures, new drugs and equipment, and more innovative programmes of training. In this latest update, the editors and contributors review these developments and drawing on the recent literature address the questions to which practitioners are seeking authoritative answers:- · Perioperative cardioprotection - how can it be effected? · Perioperative respiratory function - how can it best be improved? · What's new in blood component therapy and haemostasis? · How is it best to survive sepsis in the 21st Century? · Does hypothermia improve outcome after cardiac arrest? An indispensable guide to the latest advances in thinking, training and clinical practice.