This popular critical care text provides students with a solid grasp of the scientific and critical knowledge they need to deliver safe and effective care while caring for the whole patient and his or her family. Beginning with psychosocial concepts of care, the text progresses through assessment and management of a variety of disorders requiring intensive nursing care and provides all the information a nurse needs to know in order to care for patients in the critical care setting. This edition includes expanded coverage of disorders of the core body systems, new chapters on septic shock, acute pancreatitis, and common endocrine disorders. It also features over 50 care plans, case studies, clinical research highlights, chapter study questions -- plus a practical handbook for quick and ready reference.