Clinical Examination in Critical Care Medicine

This book addresses the core challenge of evaluating critically ill patients in a fast-moving critical care setting - assessing and treating simultaneously, often with limited patient cooperation. It covers clinical examination in cardiac arrest and post-arrest care, clinical toxicology, capacity and competence assessment, and evaluation of elderly and frail patients, with a focus specific to emergency and critical care practice. Drawing on the review and suggestions from more than 80 clinicians and consumers across emergency medicine, critical care, toxicology, and allied disciplines, the book reflects broad, consensus-based clinical experience rather than a single perspective. It covers bedside ultrasound, imaging, and interpretation of invasive physiological monitoring such as arterial lines, central venous pressure waveforms, and capnography. Statistical concepts, probabilities, and likelihood ratios are introduced early and applied throughout, in an approach centered on determining likely versus unlikely diagnoses rather than definitive ones. The book is aimed at trainees in intensive care, anaesthesia, and emergency medicine, as well as practicing emergency and critical care clinicians, nursing and medical students, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. It also serves as a concise, single-resource study guide for board examinations in critical care assessment.