RT Book, Section A1 McKenna, Shannon S. A2 Sugarbaker, David J. A2 Bueno, Raphael A2 Colson, Yolonda L. A2 Jaklitsch, Michael T. A2 Krasna, Mark J. A2 Mentzer, Steven J. A2 Williams, Marcia A2 Adams, Ann SR Print(0) ID 1105838031 T1 Critical Care for the Thoracic Surgery Patient T2 Adult Chest Surgery, 2e YR 2015 FD 2015 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 978-0-07-178189-3 LK accesssurgery.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1105838031 RD 2024/10/08 AB The thoracic surgery patient population can present significant challenges to clinical care. Patients often are older, current, or former smokers, and sicker than other surgical populations. It is not uncommon for these patients to present with underlying chronic lung disease, some form of arteriovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and baseline renal insufficiency. They have diminished physiologic reserve and more limited ability to recover from perioperative complications. In particular, they are prone to pulmonary complications, which are very poorly tolerated. As a result, they may require the services of an intensive care unit (ICU) and its highly trained, specialized staff more frequently than other patient populations. This chapter reviews critical care issues specific to thoracic surgery patients, general issues of management related to sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and strategies for avoiding the common nosocomial complications of critical care.