Respiratory Failure -- Exacerbations of COPD: The Role of Invasive Mechanical Ventilation -- Acute Respiratory Failure after Abdominal Surgery -- Tracheostomy in Critically Ill Patients: The Right Technique in the Right Patient -- Percutaneous Tracheostomy: Past, Present, and Future Perspectives -- Acute Lung Injury -- Role of iNOS-derived Excessive Nitric Oxide in the Pathogenesis of Acute Lung Injury -- Ischemia-reperfusion Injury of the Lung: Role of Surfactant -- Biomarkers for Pulmonary Injury in Critically Ill Patients -- Pharmacology of Acute Lung Injury -- The Mechanism of Ventilator-induced Lung Injury: Role of Dynamic Alveolar Mechanics -- Ventilation-perfusion Distribution Analysis to Assess Ventilatory Modes -- Modulators of Ventilator-induced Lung Injury -- Assessment of Alveolar Recruitment: New Approaches -- Lung Biopsy in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome -- Cardiac Crises -- The Critically Ill Cardiac Surgery Patient: How to Avoid Postoperative Catastrophe? -- B-Type Natriuretic Peptide to Assess Cardiac Function in the Critically Ill -- Management of Acute Myocardial Infarction -- Quantifying Cardiac Dyssynchrony in Man -- Diastolic Heart Failure and Critical Illness -- Severe Heart Failure in the ICU -- Weaning-induced Cardiac Dysfunction -- Circulatory Shock -- Resuscitation from Circulatory Shock: An Approach Based on Oxygen-derived Parameters -- Is there a Place for Epinephrine in the Management of Septic Shock? -- Resuscitation -- New Options for Pharmacological Management of Cardiac Resuscitation -- Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Instructions Provided by Emergency Medical Dispatchers -- Thrombolytic Therapy During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation -- Suspended Animation for Delayed Resuscitation -- Intraabdominal Pressure -- The Abdominal Compartment Syndrome in the Critically Ill Patient -- Non-invasive Modulation of Intraabdominal Pressure -- Severe Infections -- Rational Use of Antibiotics in the ICU: Optimum Efficacy for the Lowest Costs -- Pharmacokinetics of Antibiotics During Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy -- Impact of Methicillin Resistance on the Outcome of Severe Staphylococcus aureus Infections -- Clostridium difficile-associated Disease -- Sepsis and MOF: Basic Mechanisms -- The TREMS: A Multifaceted Family of Immunoreceptors -- Role of Mannose-Binding Lectin in Host Defense -- Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Sepsis -- Localized Coagulation Activation and Fibrin Deposition in Critically Ill Patients -- The Central and Autonomic Nervous Systems: Essential Regulators of the Immune Response -- Sepsis: Clinical Aspects -- Severe Sepsis in the Elderly -- Extravascular Lung Water in Sepsis -- Procalcitonin on the Dusty Way to the Holy Grail: A Progress Report -- Statins in Critical Illness -- Blood Transfusions -- Anemia in Critically Ill Patients -- Physiology, Benefits and Risks of Red Blood Cell Transfusion -- The Microvasculature -- The Microcirculation during Wound Healing after Oral and Maxillofacial Surgical Procedures -- Modulation of Microcirculatory Disorders by Coagulatory Inhibitors -- Sublingual Capnometry in Pedatric Patients -- Cardiorespiratory Monitoring -- New Echocardiographic Parameters of Fluid Responsiveness in Ventilated Patients -- Echo and PiCCO: Friends or Foe? -- Lithium Dilution Cardiac Output and Arterial Pulse Power Analysis -- Venous Ultrasonography in Medical Intensive Care -- Mixed and Central Venous Oxygen Saturation -- Cost-effectiveness of Minimally Invasive Hemodynamic Monitoring -- Gas Exchange Measurement in the ICU -- Neurologic Crises -- Management of Large Hemispheric Infarction -- Inducing Hypothermia in the ICU: Practical Aspects and Cooling Methods -- Metabolic Alterations -- Making Strong Ion Difference the "Euro" for Bedside Acid-Base Analysis -- Pulse High Volume Hemofiltration: Rationale and Early Clinical Experience -- Liver Transplantation in the Management of Fulminant Hepatic Failure -- Sedation -- Sedation Strategies in the Critically Ill -- Delirium in the Intensive Care Unit -- Quality Issues -- The Critically Ill Obese Patient: A Management Challenge -- Computers in the ICU: Fasten Your Seatbelts! -- Reducing ICU Mortality: To what Extent? -- Improving Palliative Care for Patients in the Intensive Care Unit.The Update compiles the most recent, widespread developments of experimental and clinical research and practice in one comprehensive reference book. The chapters are written by well recognized experts in the field of intensive care and emergency medicine. It is addressed to everyone involved in internal medicine, anesthesia, surgery, pediatrics, intensive care and emergency medicine.