This is a list of important pharmacology and toxicology reading resources for the time-poor exam candidiate preparing for the CICM Part II exam. The following resources can be considered essential:
- Toxicology Handbook (3rd ed) by Murray et al is probably ALL you need.
- LITFL toxicology library is probably more than you need.
In addition to the above, there are two excellent articles from 2002 by L.I. Worthley, which together cover the majority of the important issues, and should be viewed as essential reading:
Oh's Intensive Care manual contains a large volume of vaguely pharm/tox information; small scale cohort studies (n= 2) have demonstrated that it is possible to pass the exam without reading any of these chapters, but they are included here because Oh's.
- Chapter 66 (pp. 699) Anaphylaxis by Malcolm M Fisher
- Chapter 84 (pp. 851) Envenomation by James Tibballs
- Chapter 86 (pp. 871) Background information on ‘biochemical terrorism’ by Munita Grover and Michael Pelly
- Chapter 87 (pp. 881) Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and drug monitoring in critical illness by Christine Chung
- Chapter 88 (pp. 892) Management of acute poisoning by David M Wood and Duncan LA Wyncoll
- Chapter 89 (pp. 903) Sedation and pain management in intensive care by Luke E Torre
- Chapter 90 (pp. 912) Inotropes and vasopressors by John A Myburgh
- Chapter 91 (pp. 923) Vasodilators and antihypertensives by Anthony C Gordon and John A Myburgh
- Chapter 112 (pp. 1148) Paediatric poisoning by James Tibballs