Clinical research in critical care has exploded in the past several years and we now have a much better understanding of how to care for intensive care unit (ICU) patients in areas such as management of sepsis, fluid resuscitation, mechanical ventilation, antibiotic administration and sedation and analgesia. However, despite improved clinical care, many critically ill patients continue to experience complications of critical illness - some complications are iatrogenic and preventable, while others are simply a component of the natural history of critical illness. These complications lead...

Clinical research in critical care has exploded in the past several years and we now have a much better understanding of how to care for intensive care unit (ICU) patients in areas such as management of sepsis, fluid resuscitation, mechanical ventilation, antibiotic administration and sedation and analgesia. However, despite improved clinical care, many critically ill patients continue to experience complications of critical illness - some complications are iatrogenic and preventable, while others are simply a component of the natural history of critical illness. These complications lead...