The focus of this volume is the "state of the art" of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine as well as new insights into basic science, clinical research and therapeutic interventions. Structured in four parts, the volume opens with few chapters devoted to the beginning and development of the WSICCM, to procedures standardization, recommendations and quality of care improvement, with particular reference to the definition of clinical governance, professionalism and ethics. In the second part, the authors describe the practical clinical approach to critical illness; among the topics dealt with, the reader will find monitoring and management of shock states; acute pain management, airway management, ALI/ARDS and protective lung ventilation; the problem of weaning; antibiotics policy, sepsis and organ dysfunction. The third part of the book is related to some special conditions of countries with limited resources, such as management of obstetrics at high risk, malaria, AIDS, blood transfusion and its components. The last part of the book is structured to present some crucial issues of the intensive and critical care arena, in particular evidence-based practice, the role of the e-distance learning for information and the promotion of CME programs; last but not least, trauma care, disaster and natural disaster medicine are also discussed; a final chapter on the Guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Disaster Medicine is included.

The World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine (WFSIC- CM) has reached the age of maturity. Physicians, nurses, and many others associated with the field of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine will be coming from all corners of the world to Florence, Italy in August, 2009 to celebrate the 10th quadrennial congress. Every 4 years for the last 36 years, congresses in the magnificent venues of London (1973), Paris (1977), Washington (1981), Jerusalem (1985), Kyoto (1989), Madrid (1993), Ottawa (1997), Sydney (2001), and Buenos Aires (2005) have sig- fied an ever-developing process which has resulted in the four pillars of the field of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine, namely partnership, ethics, professionalism, and competence. The first pillar is based on a stronger interdisciplinary collaboration and a mul- professional partnership in the field of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine. In recent decades, professional activity in medicine has been regulated by well-defined, universal principles, such as the welfare of the patient, autonomy, social justice, and the patient-physician relationship. The second pillar, ethics, has offered welcomed assistance to all these principles in establishing an ethics curriculum.

This volume is published under the auspices of the World Federation of Societies of Intensive Care Medicine, which consists of 48 members societies (both medical and nursing) - a truly world wide organisation - and whose aim is to promote excellence in the care of critically ill patients. The volume will be distributed to delegates on occasion of the 9th International Congress of the World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine, to be held in Buenos Aires at the end of August 2005.