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Context-sensitive half time  is the concept which relates the drug distribution into and out of tissue compartments to the change in plasma concentration after sustained infusion. If the infusion has not achieved a steady-state of concentration, the context-sensitive half time will more closely resemble the α half-life (distribution half-life).  If the infusion is at steady-state and the tissue compartment is well-saturated with drug molecules, the context-sensitive half time will resemble the β half-life (elimination half-life). The context-sensitive half time is not expressed as a number like a half-life would normally be, but is rather a constant.

Alveoli are the basic unit of the gas exchange surface. Their adaptation to their main function (to exchange gas) is to be extremely thin, with a vast surface area, and relatively high resistance to mechanical stress They have a largely polyhedral shape, with extremely thin walls, which are all connected to each other giving the macrostructure elasticity and strength. The alveoli are composed of Type 1 and 2 pneumocytes, as well as capillary endothelial cells, fibroblasts, macrophages and mast cells.

Conventionally, everything above the larynx is considered to be the upper airway. This includes the pharynx, the oral cavity, the nasal cavity, and the external nose. These structures and functions are much too complex to describe in any great detail; this chapter offers a brief point-form introduction to their structure and function

Diabetic ketoacidosis is a state of insulin deficiency, characterised by rapid onset, extreme metabolic acidosis, a generally intact sensorium, and only mild hyperglycaemia. DKA comes up frequently in the CICM SAQs, but usually as an ABG interpretation exercise. This chapter focuses on the medical side of DKA, including its causes, manifestations, complications, and management strategies.

Alveoli are the basic unit of the gas exchange surface. Their adaptation to their main function (to exchange gas) is to be extremely thin, with a vast surface area, and relatively high resistance to mechanical stress They have a largely polyhedral shape, with extremely thin walls, which are all connected to each other giving the macrostructure elasticity and strength. The alveoli are composed of Type 1 and 2 pneumocytes, as well as capillary endothelial cells, fibroblasts, macrophages and mast cells.

Paul Marik had published an excellent article on this topic in 2000, which to this day remains a definitive resource for the person trying to generate a broad range of differentials. The need to generate such a range has come up several times in the CICM written papers, notably in  Question 9 from the second paper of 2009.  Given the broad range of things that can get infected (or non-infectiously inflamed) one can hardly call any list a "definitive" list. However, somewhere in one's cognitive arsenal one ought to have a table which looks like this, covering the major categories.

Of the cardiology questions in the Part II exam, a large proportion consists of ECG interpretation exercises. There really is no satisfactory way to short-cram in preparation for such questions. One might be tempted to make the facetious remark that people at this level of training would be confident in ECG interpretation, and that no further preparation would be required for the true ICU fellow in the final stages of their training. One might even say that good solid basic knowledge is the key to success in this ECG interpretation section. Of course, this would be complete bullshit. The College seem to have a database of perhaps twenty or thirty ECGs. The cynical trainee will focus on becoming familiar with this selection. If a repeat question comes up, the cynic will be rewarded for counting on the lazyness of  question writers. If the ECG is brand-new, the cynic will not be disadvantaged any more than anybody else.

In the spirit of cheating and cynicism, this chapter offers a list of ECG abnormalities which have appeared prominently in the previous papers.

Questions about PE are frequent. Usually, they ask about the acute management of a haemodynamically unstable pulmonary embolism. The examiners seem to have a particular interest in thrombolysis. The best references for answering such SAQs are probably the 2014 ESC guidelines and 2012 ACCP Guidelines.

Yes, its a very strange thing to have in your aorta. An no, its not at all uncomfortable. Apart from the unpleasantness of having one's femoral artery punctured, most people don't find the experience particularly alarming. I have asked them; they cant feel the movements of the balloon. In any case, I am sure that any adverse components of their experience are drowned out by the appreciation of the fact that one is alive in spite of a massive coronary event.