Critical Care Medicine is an "essentials" text intended for students and residents, though it is also read by practitioners and critical care nurses. It concisely covers all of the major areas in critical care, with a unique focus on pathophysiology underlying clinical disorders and how pathophysiologic concerns affect treatment options. Chapters are short and easy to read, with little redundancy due to the fact that Marini and Wheeler write almost the entire book themselves. Key Points are presented at the end of chapters. The Fourth Edition includes Controversies in Critical Care boxes in appropriate chapters, which briefly summarize controversial points and present opposing arguments. The authors make specific treatment recommendations in these controversial areas, and the boxes allow those recommendations to be placed in the context of a broader discussion.