Quick Overview

This course provides an overview of critical care medicine. Critical care specialists treat the sickest patients in the hospital who are admitted to intensive care units, or ICUs. These patients suffer from severe medical illnesses, injuries, or surgical complications. Critical care specialists are routinely called upon to perform invasive but life saving procedures. This course discusses a general approach to evaluating and treating these critically ill patients. It also reviews diseases associated with the various organ systems that are important to the practice of critical care medicine. Specific organ systems covered are pulmonary, cardiovascular, renal, gastrointestinal, neurological, and endocrine. Additionally, special topics like acid-base disorders, toxicology, traumatic injuries, and nutrition are discussed.