By whatever names they are known, the new breed of Intensivists exist at a turbulent interface, threatened as they are by neighboring surgeons, cardiologists, pulmonologists, and anesthesiologists. Working on the sound principle that a good offense is preferable to a defense, they are quite properly establishing their identity not merely by availability in the intensive care unit (ICU) but also by proof of their expertise in publications. Among the evidence of such "marketing" is the series "Clinics in Critical Care Medicine" of which the present volume is the fifth publication.
The choice of editor guarantees a high-level scientific standard for the 16 chapters, which review various aspects of infection as seen and managed in the surgical ICU. Of the 21 authors, most (62%) are Canadians, but there is a sprinkling of French (four authors) and other North Americans from south of the border (four authors).
The first two sections of