Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) continues to be one of the greatest challenges to critical care practitioners and one of the greatest threats to the survival of our patients. The choice of this topic for an issue of the PERSPECTIVES IN CRITICAL CARE INFECTIOUS DISEASES Series is therefore quite appropriate. Despite its importance, many areas of the management of ventilator-associated pneumonia remain controversial. We therefore are pleased to include contributions from experts and investigators offering different perspectives on some of these controversial areas.

Severe Community Acquired Pneumonia is a book in which chapters are authored and the same topics discussed by North American and European experts. This approach provides a unique opportunity to view the different perspectives and points of view on this subject. Severe CAP is a common clinical problem encountered in the ICU setting. This book reviews topics concerning the pathogenesis, diagnosis and management of SCAP. The discussions on the role of alcohol in severe CAP and adjunctive therapies are important topics that further our understanding of this severe respiratory infection.

Severe Infections Caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa emphasizes controversies worldwide in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and pathogenesis of pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. By including both chapters written by European authors and chapters written by North American experts, the reader is ensured of receiving a broad spectrum of opinions on controversial topics. Special attention is paid to such topics as the diagnosis of hospital-acquired pneumonia caused by p. aeruginosa, scheduled antibiotic therapy for patients with cystic fibrosis, empiric therapy for febrile neurotropenic patients, combination vs. single agent antibiotic therapy for severely ill patients, and alternatives to conventional antibiotic therapies.

This excellent overview of our current understanding of pseudomonas aeruginosa pathogenesis will prove useful to clinicians and microbiologists around the globe.

Infections and their complications are a very important clinical area in the intensive care unit setting. Community-acquired infections and nosocomial infections both contribute to the high level of disease acquisition common among critically ill patients. The accurate diagnosis of nosocomial infections and the provision of appropriate therapies, including antimicrobial therapy effective against the identified agents of infection, have been shown to be important determinants of patient outcome.

Critical care practitioners are in a unique position in dealing with infectious diseases. They are often the initial providers of care to seriously ill patients with infections. Additionally, they have a responsibility to ensure that nosocomial infections are prevented and that antimicrobial resistance is minimized by prudently employing antibiotic agents. It is the editors' hope that this book will provide clinicians practicing in the intensive care unit with a reference to help guide their care of infected patients. To that end they have brought together a group of international authors to address important topics related to infectious diseases for the critical care practitioner.

The importance of accurately diagnosing nosocomial infections and providing appropriate therapies, including antimicrobial therapy effective against the identified agents of infection, have been shown to be important determinants of patient outcome. Critical care practitioners are in a unique position to deal with infectious diseases, as they are often the initial providers of care to seriously ill patients with infections. Additionally, they have a responsibility to insure that nosocomial infections are prevented and that antimicrobial resistance is minimised by employing antibiotic agents prudently. It is our hope that this textbook will provide clinicians practising in the intensive care unit with a reference to help guide their care of infected patients. To that end we have brought together a group of international authors to address important topics related to infectious diseases for the critical care practitioner. Critical Care Infectious Diseases should become an advanced standard reference work in the field of infectious diseases and intensive care medicine. The content is original and the first of its kind in this area. It is a reference work for those physicians who care daily for critically ill patients suffering from infectious complications. Residents and other specialists interested in focused problems will benefit from the wide spectrum of information provided in this book. Infectious control practitioners and nurses will also benefit from this collection by recognised experts who work with specific aspects of infectious disease problems in the critically ill patient. Critical Care Infectious Diseases includes seven sections addressing the following topics: specificmicrobiologic and pharmacologic considerations, epidemiology/infection control in the ICU, anti-infective therapy in the critically ill patient, severe respiratory infections, intra-abdominal infections, severe skin/soft tissue infections, catheter-related infections, and other infectious syndromes frequently seen in the intensive care unit.

Sepsis is an important public health problem around the world. Severe sepsis carries significant morbidity, mortality and high costs. The incidence of sepsis is increasing because of the aging population, the growing number of immunocompromised hosts, the increasing use of invasive procedures, and, to a lesser extent, antibiotic resistance among pathogens. Despite recent advances in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and therapeutic approaches the mortality rate associated with this condition remains high. Therefore, the goal of Sepsis: New Strategies is to review novel targets to be considered in patients with severe sepsis and to assess new developments for patients with sepsis originating in the respiratory tract.

This book is unique in approaching multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) from the perspective of its pathophysiological mechanism, and addressing aspects that are overlooked in most of the available literature. Eminent experts in the field from Europe and beyond offer new insights into risk stratification, severity assessment, and management of critically ill patients with sepsis. The principal focus is on recently developed concepts in infection management and in antibiotic use, bearing in mind that in these patients the pharmacokinetics of antibiotics are altered, affecting renal clearance and requiring dosage adjustments. The significance of the PIRO (predisposing factors, infection, response, organ dysfunction) model in the development of effective treatment strategies is emphasized. This book will be of interest and value to all who are involved in the treatment of, or research into, sepsis and MODS.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) continues to be one of the greatest challenges to critical care practitioners and one of the greatest threats to the survival of our patients. The choice of this topic for an issue of the PERSPECTIVES IN CRITICAL CARE INFECTIOUS DISEASES Series is therefore quite appropriate. Despite its importance, many areas of the management of ventilator-associated pneumonia remain controversial. We therefore are pleased to include contributions from experts and investigators offering different perspectives on some of these controversial areas.

Severe Infections Caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa emphasizes controversies worldwide in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and pathogenesis of pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. By including both chapters written by European authors and chapters written by North American experts, the reader is ensured of receiving a broad spectrum of opinions on controversial topics. Special attention is paid to such topics as the diagnosis of hospital-acquired pneumonia caused by p. aeruginosa, scheduled antibiotic therapy for patients with cystic fibrosis, empiric therapy for febrile neurotropenic patients, combination vs. single agent antibiotic therapy for severely ill patients, and alternatives to conventional antibiotic therapies.

This excellent overview of our current understanding of pseudomonas aeruginosa pathogenesis will prove useful to clinicians and microbiologists around the globe.

Sepsis is an important public health problem around the world. Severe sepsis carries significant morbidity, mortality and high costs. The incidence of sepsis is increasing because of the aging population, the growing number of immunocompromised hosts, the increasing use of invasive procedures, and, to a lesser extent, antibiotic resistance among pathogens. Despite recent advances in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and therapeutic approaches the mortality rate associated with this condition remains high. Therefore, the goal of Sepsis: New Strategies is to review novel targets to be considered in patients with severe sepsis and to assess new developments for patients with sepsis originating in the respiratory tract.

Sepsis is a very important public health problem. It is widely acknowledged that the severe inflammatory response syndrome/severe sepsis paradigm fails to stratify sepsis patients adequately. This book reviews in detail how sepsis should be managed on the basis of a novel approach to staging. The PIRO (predisposing factors, infection, response, organ dysfunction) model was first proposed at the start of the decade on a theoretical basis and has now been translated into a practical approach for use at the bedside. It is loosely based on the TNM staging system for cancers, with points being allocated to each of the four aforementioned key characteristics of the septic process. The proposed PIRO framework facilitates evaluation of factors that are important in the pathogenesis of severe sepsis and in the development of treatment strategies. This book clearly explains the advantages of the PIRO approach in different settings and will be of value to all practitioners concerned with the management of sepsis.

Severe Community Acquired Pneumonia is a book in which chapters are authored and the same topics discussed by North American and European experts. This approach provides a unique opportunity to view the different perspectives and points of view on this subject. Severe CAP is a common clinical problem encountered in the ICU setting. This book reviews topics concerning the pathogenesis, diagnosis and management of SCAP. The discussions on the role of alcohol in severe CAP and adjunctive therapies are important topics that further our understanding of this severe respiratory infection.