Günther Schlag Libri

In this book current knowledge of the pathophysiology of shock, sepsis and multi organ failure is presented. The rapid progress which has been made and the results achieved in intensive care medicine are based on sound basic research, which is duly reflected in these chapters. Multiorgan failure is the foremost cause of postoperative and posttraumatic death and many complex mechanisms are involved. Only with a good foundation of basic research can abnormalities in the physiological, biochemical, and morphological course of shock be recognized and the necessary conclusions for treatment drawn. Therapy must proceed from profound knowledge of the multi variant physiological events in order to influence shock, sepsis and organ failure. Although numerous possibilities for therapy have arisen from pharmaceutical research in recent years, they are beyond the scope of this book and are not discussed here. To gain a better understanding of the pathophysiological events it was necessary to examine and to describe different models that simulate and reproduce these events. Here we describe the causative agents (shock) and the consequences (sepsis, organ failure) in two main sections, divided on the basis of their pathophysiology.

A report on new findings involving the brain in traumatic and septic shock, and after brain injury. Adopting an experimental and clinical approach to treatment, the book presents specific results obtained from the encephalogram and from histopathological study with regard to the immunohistochemistry of toxic lipid peroxidant products. It also includes the latest results of clinical and experimental pathophysiology in inflammatory processes after traumatic brain injury and the therapeutic effects of hypertonic fluid therapy.

These eight volumes, which developed out of the international congress „Update and Future Trends in Fibrin Sealing in Surgical and Nonsurgical Fields“ held in November 1992, present the state of the art in fibrin sealing. Initially, fibrin sealant played an important role in surgery. During the past few years, it has been increasingly applied nonsurgically and we can now say that it has become an integral component of medical treatment. The doubts which have been raised by nonusers about the efficacy of fibrin sealant are no longer valid. The correct indication and technique continue to be basic prerequisites for effective treatment. Even today - 20 years after fibrin sealant was first used - the three most prominent effects of fibrin sealant are still hemostasis, sealing of the wound, and support of wound healing. The problems posed by the transmission of viral infections have gained sub stantially in importance because of the potential transmission of AIDS via fi brin sealant. Fortunately, this is so unlikely today that it no longer represents a cause for concern, which does not mean, however, that research in this field can be discontinued.