Preface to the Second Edition
Infectious diseases continue to represent a major diagnostic and therapeutic challenge in the
critical care unit. Infectious diseases maintain their preeminence in the critical care unit setting
because of their frequency and importance in the critical unit patient population.
Since the first edition ofInfectious Diseases in Critical Care Medicine, there have been newly
described infectious diseases to be considered in differential diagnosis, and new antimicrobial
agents have been added to the therapeutic armamentarium.
The second edition ofInfectious Diseases in Critical Care Medicinecontinues the clinical
orientation of the first edition. Differential diagnostic considerations in infectious diseases
continue to be the central focus of the second edition.
Clinicians caring for acutely ill patients in the CCU are confronted with the common
problem of differentiating noninfectious disease mimics from their infectious disease
counterparts. For this reason, the differential diagnosis of noninfectious diseases remain an
important component of infectious diseases in the second edition. The second edition of
Infectious Diseases in Critical Care Medicineemphasizes differential clinical features that enable
clinicians to sort out complicated diagnostic problems.
Because critical care unit patients often have complicated/interrelated multisystem
disorders, subspecialty expertise is essential for optimal patient care. Early utilization of
infectious disease consultation is important to assure proper application/interpretation of
appropriate laboratory tests and for the selection/optimization of antimicrobial therapy.
Selecting the optimal antimicrobial for use in the CCU is vital. As important is the optimization
of antimicrobial dosing to take into account the antibiotic’s pharmacokinetic and pharmaco-
dynamic attributes. The infectious disease clinician, in addition to optimizing dosing
considerations is also able to evaluate potential antimicrobial side effects as well as drug–
drug interactions, which may affect therapy. Infectious disease consultations can be helpful in
differentiating colonization ordinarily not treated from infection that should be treated.
Physicians who are not infectious disease clinicians lack the necessary sophistication in clinical
infectious disease training, medical microbiology, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, and
diagnostic experience. Physicians in critical care units should rely on infectious disease
clinicians as well as other consultants to optimize care these acutely ill patients.
The second edition ofInfectious Diseases in Critical Care Medicinehas been streamlined,
maintaining the clinical focus in a more compact volume. Again, the authors have been
selected for their expertise and experience. The contributors to the book are world-class
teacher/clinicians who have in their writings imparted wisdom accrued from years of clinical
experience for the benefit of the critical care unit physician and their patients. The second
edition ofInfectious Diseases in Critical Care Medicineremains the only book dealing with
infections in critical care.
Burke A. Cunha