The ICU Book is a selective (but fairly comprehensive) review of ICU topics from largely one doctor's perspective. (The 2007 edition has "contributions" from a second doctor.) That it's written by one person keeps a consistency in style but there are several controversial points raised where it's hard to tell whether this is now hard-science proven standard of care or the author's preference. There are many typographical errors (including drug dosages) and most of the references are from the 1990's and earlier; few references are after 2000.

All in all, it's a well written basic review of ICU topics but should be read knowing this is one person's approach to care. It's a good starter for residents and a good review book for the Critical Care boards.

Better concise book doesn't exist. You can read it in 1 week! well illustrated. It offers the essentials you need to understand to be familiar with the disease's physiopathology you're confronted with in the ICU.
to be red and red again.
If you're looking for a more exhaustive book, buy the Parrillo's!

This is the best practical clinical book I have read in the field of medicine. Easy to read with a lot of practical application.You read this book and you will be a star clinical intern, resident and attending too....

I highly recommend this book to medical students, interns and residents.
My ICU attending recommended it to me before the rotation and I thought that it was helpful, easy reading and explained common prodecures ( ie central lines).

I own the 2nd ed. and am looking forward to owning the 3rd. This was recommended to me when I first started Critical Care (CC) Nursing 6 years ago and I have yet to find anything even close. I love the fact a physician wrote it. The information is much more clear than any CC nursing text/book I have bought. ... and I have tons. It follows more closely to the medical model, not a nursing format... ie. it doesn't include nursing diagnosis or nursing care. I feel much more confident discussing patients with colleagues, families and patients after looking up my facts in this book. As mentioned in other reviews, some may not think of this as a 'quick reference' book, but I know if I have it with me I am always referring to it. It's heavy because the print is large (also mentioned in other reviews) making it thick, but really is quite concise in all it's explanations. I would purchase this book for anyone involved in Critical Care.

Dr Marino has created a resource for all students, residents, and physicians wanting to better understand topics typically poorly understood, taught, or written about. Its a must as it will make you a better physician! Really!

I'm very glad to own this book. 2005 CPR guidelines. Very comprehensive composition, the real ICU handbook.

I used this for my 5 MICU month rotations. It was useful but a lot of the material is dated. Early Goal Directed Therapy is not in here and the pressor we use at our facility are not dicussed in great detail here. I actually found it more helpful for my cardiac critical care rotations.

Very thoroughly written. Some sections come in very handy during SICU rotations. The concepts are explained in a plain easy to read format.

An excellent consult's material for all physicians, not just for critical care doctors,i work in ER and have found an important knowledgement source for my area. I recommend this book.

Oscar Reyes-Lopez, MD

Simply stated, this is THE book for critical care medicine. A unified overview of critical care is presented in a succinct manner. Difficult physiological concepts are broken down into simple concepts. I would argue that this text is mandatory reading for any physician, not just intensivists. Critiques about Dr. Marino's "controversial" views are simply unfounded--the book is exceptionally well-referenced. I have never purchased a medical text with as much value. Dr. Marino's website is a nice bonus--it's free and you can link to references very quickly.

Simply stated, this is THE book for critical care medicine. A unified overview of critical care is presented in a succinct manner. Difficult physiological concepts are broken down into simple concepts. I would argue that this text is mandatory reading for any physician, not just intensivists. Critiques about Dr. Marino's "controversial" views are simply unfounded--the book is exceptionally well-referenced. I have never purchased a medical text with as much value. Dr. Marino's website is a nice bonus--it's free and you can link to references very quickly.

very easy to read, the work of Marino as an important charact. i.e. all the chapters 're written by the author. This make a "compact" point of view abt. the issues treated.
the book is evidence base oriented but well balanced with some common sense observation in clinical practice.
It is not pragmatic like other txt of the same carature, for exp Bongard's Current (waiting for a new edts of a very good basical txtbook), but probabily the philosophy of the author 's not the same.
Many items were not treated directely. The acute pancreatitis 's treated not so in depht, the diabetic KA was treated in the chapter of acid base disease. Of note, there is an important window abt. the phisiopatology.
All and all the txt is an authoritative source for the initiation of the crit care phis., the first step before the study of more heavy txtbooks (hall; parillo-my preferred but probabily is a personal opinion;civetta- not new edts in view).
The new edts is very uptodate and the biblio voices has a Very high citation index.

very easy to read, the work of Marino as an important charact. i.e. all the chapters 're written by the author. This make a "compact" point of view abt. the issues treated.
the book is evidence base oriented but well balanced with some common sense observation in clinical practice.
It is not pragmatic like other txt of the same carature, for exp Bongard's Current (waiting for a new edts of a very good basical txtbook), but probabily the philosophy of the author 's not the same.
Many items were not treated directely. The acute pancreatitis 's treated not so in depht, the diabetic KA was treated in the chapter of acid base disease. Of note, there is an important window abt. the phisiopatology.
All and all the txt is an authoritative source for the initiation of the crit care phis., the first step before the study of more heavy txtbooks (hall; parillo-my preferred but probabily is a personal opinion;civetta- not new edts in view).
The new edts is very uptodate and the biblio voices has a Very high citation index.

Very complete and thorugh w/out breezing throguh the basics.
Recc to anyone

This is an excellent book to use for both a basic understanding and detailed knowledge of intensive care medicine. It is an invaluable resource and the updated version is phenominal! As a hospitalist it is a great review and guide for my everyday practice. Highly recommended!

Very complete and thorugh w/out breezing throguh the basics.
Recc to anyone

This is an excellent book to use for both a basic understanding and detailed knowledge of intensive care medicine. It is an invaluable resource and the updated version is phenominal! As a hospitalist it is a great review and guide for my everyday practice. Highly recommended!

As a (happy) owner of the previous edition, I am even more impressed with this one. Its an interesting and practical book covering a broad spectrum of critical care topics. The book is brilliantly written and extremely easy to understand and learn from, making esoteric topics seem simple. This book is a valuable resource for any health professional from medical student to attending and a must for anyone entering medicine, surgery, critical care or anesthesia.

This is a must have book for residents. Its easyreading with nice diagrams, pictures, and filled with important straight to the point facts and concepts.

Great gift (even a used copy) for residents, respiratory therapists, and critical care nurses! Packed with VALUABLE, easy-to-read information.

I got the book for my ICU rotation, its a easy read. Goes over the imp stuff and the basics too. Liked it a lot.

Too little details in places (mechanical ventilation) but too wordy in others. Excellent cardiopulmonary phys review, good breadth of subjects. Kinda big book but fast reading.

This book is rare because it is original. It welcomes you to the real world of critical care as seen by one expert physician. It was probably never intended for quick reference or board prep. The relatively large print and generous spacing make the book bigger but more pleasant to read.

Good book for the fundamentals and the physiology behind the patient care. As a critical care MD, I learned alot form the book during my training, however like another reviewer, I found this edition too long. The first edition (much shorter, and the one I learned from and want back) is much better and about half the pages.

Along with Bojar's,this book is a must be for all ICU physicians,residents,nurses,students. It is comprehensive,easy to understand (with a fluent,simple English for those who speak English as a foreign language-like me).I've not given 5 stars,because maybe it would be a little thinner!

This book is heavy, too thick, cannot fit in your pocket, and it mostly contains info that is readily available in other MUCH smaller POCKET books. This book has useful info but the format is just too clunky and like I said it contains almost everything that other smaller books have. This book can easily be shortened to less than 300 pgs if used less "yacking" and smaller font. (interns yes), respiratory therapists and PA-C who need to know more deeply certain subjects covered in this heavy book.

I remember when the first edition came out....everyone raved! THe second addition is even more chock-full of the important stuff! A very portable reference book that you will not be disappointed in!

the book has excellent summaries of pathophys behind what we see/diagnose/measure/do in the icu. the book does have significant drawbacks, though, namely that it is highly biased towards the author's occasionally contraversial opinions. my attendings (all critical care experts) have debated some of his recommendations. also, with the most recent version published in 1997 (and knowing that the acutal revisions were probably done a year or so before that) the book is 5 years behind the times.

in summary, good book for basics, for understanding how and why, for explanations of procedures and basic protocol. be wary of marino's unusual recommendations. be aware of more current recommendations. use other references as well for broader picture.

good book, it goes to specific issues concerning critical care, althout it lacks of certain topics that could be included in the next edition because I think these ones are of importance in order to manage in a proper way any patient admitted in a ICU.

This book provides the essential background for ICU rotation. It provides pathophysiology and pharmacology Literature which helps residendts and students alike the knowledge for better understanding of the diagnosis and management of patients.

for those of us who labor endlessly in i.c.u's, this is a fast,good reference. great for in-service exams. when you want to know just the quick facts. p.b.,m.d.

I first found this book while working on Maui and have used it religiously ever since. It is always in my bag that I take to work. I have been working in ICU since 1995 and have learned so much from this book alone. If your an ICU RN and do not own this book....get one! Its worth every cent.

This book is an excellent reference for the novice or experienced ICU nurse. It gets to the point in each chapter quickly. I work in a Surgical Intensive Care Unit and this book is an indispensable part of my library.

The author approaches inherently technical subject matter in a down to earth manner. This is not to say it is necessarily simplified, but neither is it needlessly complex. Being "problem-based", the text is easily lends itself for quick reference when needing review of particular aspects of critical care. This book bridges gaps that my Patho texts leave and offer experienced based pearls that are so valuable for those newly embarking in the arena of critical care. This book resides with my Merck Manual and Harriet Lane.

I bought this book because I saw a copy lying around the ICU and flipped through it. It's a great reference text if you need to know how to do something. I actually have it as bedside reading and it does that job poorly because it reads like a manual rather than a book. Also, despite Dr Marino's credentials, he is only one man and is of one opinion and he gives many recommendations that are contrary to current protocol (he also gives reasons and references as to why his way is better). I like his "advantages and disadvantages" evaluations for each procedure/drug/treatment.

This is a perfect way to obtain a fairly broad fund of ICU knowledge without having to stop every other paragraph to analize and digest the words used to express an idea. I find it very useful for residents and ICU fellows. All physicians in different levels of training will find something interesting in this book. Its size makes it very attractive and its no-frills medical terminology makes it extremely approachable. Tha fact that it has been written by a single author provides a wholesome quality and a unique global view of what the ICU is like. A definite MUST HAVE in anyone's basic ICU library.

An interesting thing about this publication is: just one author. We have the opportunity to feel his approach about Intensive Care as a whole. I'm sure that this book is an indispensable part of my collection.

Excelente livro sobre o assunto que aborda o aspecto mais geral do cuidado ao criticamente enfermo, de forma clara e objetiva, desfazendo mitos e fornecendo "insights" do autor. Extremamente acess�vel a estudantes de qualquer n�vel e de leitura agrad�vel sem comprometer o conte�do. Leitura obrigat�ria.

Excelente livro sobre o assunto que aborda o aspecto mais geral do cuidado ao criticamente enfermo, de forma clara e objetiva, desfazendo mitos e fornecendo "insights" do autor. Extremamente acessível a estudantes de qualquer nível e de leitura agradável sem comprometer o conteúdo. Leitura obrigatória.