To integrate current knowledge in terms of basic and clinical science and to highlight problems, thirty world-renowned experts in the field of acute lung injury describe the state of up to date knowledge regarding the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and clinical management of acute lung injury. Novel techniques for the clinical support of these difficult patients are discussed in full. Prospects for successful pharmacological intervention are also outlined. This book is aimed at those practising within the field of critical care and is likely to become an indispensable aid to all concerned with the investigation and management of patients with severe respiratory failure.

This book reviews the most recent developments in the patho- physiology and therapy of ventilatory failure. It contains contributions by twenty-five internationally recognized aut- horities on respiratory muscle function and investigators actively contributing to our knowledge of the cause, diagno- sis and therapy of ventilatory failure. Of particular inter- estare the descriptions of new modalities of partial and complete ventilatory assistance as well as new knowledge re- garding ventilatory control and fatigue during stressful breathing. The reader will find here a state-of-the-art re- view of the latest research and practical applications in this most critical area of intensive care medicine.