Johnson TJ. Critical Care Pharmacotherapeutics. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning; 2012, 420pp, $52.43 (softcover), ISBN 9781449604783.
Critical Care Pharmacotherapeutics provides groundwork for pharmacy students and residents in critical care through 16 easy-to-read chapters. This book is not intended to be an all-inclusive reference for practicing pharmacists. However, it provides an outline of critical care pharmacy. Compared to other critical care textbooks, this book is not as extensive, but it is written specifically toward the profession of pharmacy, while most other textbooks target physicians or nurses. As an introduction to critical care pharmacy practice, this textbook is an easier read and less intimidating than larger, more inclusive references. 
 
The chapters within this book each discuss a different topic or disease state that may be encountered in a critical care situation, along with learning objectives at the beginning of each chapter. The first chapter of this book explains the role of a pharmacist in the critical care environment. Chapters 2, 3, and 4 discuss the fundamental aspects of a critical care patient, including illness scoring systems, intravenous devices, chest tubes, hemodynamic monitoring, and ventilation. 
 
The next 4 chapters provide material regarding monitoring and supportive measures that should be considered in all critically ill patients. In chapter 5, the author discusses analgesia, sedation, and delirium, with focus on therapeutic considerations, monitoring of pain, and sedation management. Chapters 6 and 7 provide an overview of the management of acid-base abnormalities, fluid replacement, and electrolyte management. The 8th chapter presents the causes and pharmacologic management of high blood pressure. 
 
Chapters 9 through 11 focus on sepsis, acute coronary syndrome, and acute kidney injury. Chapter 12 explains the role of nutrition in disease management, including how to calculate energy requirements, malnutrition, enteral feeding, and a step-by-step approach to writing an order for parenteral nutrition. Chapter 13, which discusses infection, details the likely organisms depending on body compartment and empiric coverage for certain disease states. The next 2 chapters introduce hematologic conditions and neurologic disease or dysfunction. The final chapter of this textbook introduces issues that may be encountered in pediatric patients, along with the differences in treatment of a child and an adult. The author also provides an alphabetized list of abbreviations used in the book and the associated chapter. 
 
This textbook has several strengths, including chapters introducing several aspects of critical care that are commonly not covered in-depth in pharmacy education curricula. The chapter regarding hematologic conditions, for example, explains different conditions and introduces blood products, which may only be briefly introduced during pharmacy school. Also, the typical pharmacy program focuses on adults with little emphasis on pediatrics. This book, however, introduces issues that are more likely to be faced in a pediatric patient and the differences in treating a child. 
 
Although there are many excellent aspects of this textbook, a few things are lacking. Students would benefit from examples or cases at the end of each chapter that could be used as an assignment or during class discussion. Questions at the end of each chapter would also be useful to indicate understanding of material. 
 
Critical Care Pharmacotherapeutics would be an excellent textbook for use in a third-year pharmacy program elective course in critical care. It is not intended as an all-inclusive textbook and should be used in addition to current treatment guidelines to provide the best care for patients. Because the textbook provides an overview and is not extremely in-depth, it is appropriate for the intended audience of pharmacy students and residents. It is an affordable textbook and would be beneficial to any pharmacy student considering critical care or preparing for an advanced pharmacy practice experience.