Cardiothoracic Critical Care

The Oxford Specialist Handbook in Cardiothoracic Critical Care summarises current knowledge and provides an evidence-based approach to all aspects of patient care. It is written by leading experts in the field and provides a guide to clinical decision making in a user-friendly format.

Written in the Oxford Handbook format, each section is comprised of short topics ideal for quick reference. Portable, accessible, and reliable, the book equips the clinician with the basic scientific and clinical knowledge to safely assist in formulating management plans, based on current best practice. It is intuitively divided in to four sections, concisely covering; postoperative management, organ dysfunction, specific patient groups and treatments and procedures.

This allows confidence in the management of all patients in the cardiothoracic critical care unit, including patients immediately following cardiac surgery, those with acute cardiovascular disorders, those with pre-existing cardiac disease and many others. It will provide knowledge and instil confidence for the procedures regularly performed such as pacing, central venous cannulation and echocardiography.

This concise and practical handbook would be useful to the general intensivist and is an indispensable pocket reference for intensive care nurses, advanced critical care practitioners and trainees & consultants in cardiothoracic surgery and critical care. This edition has been updated to cover all recent advances in the management of this critically unwell patient group.

Robyn Smith, Consultant in Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Golden Jubilee National Hospital; University of Glasgow, UK,Philip McCall, Consultant in Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Intensive Care; Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer, Golden Jubilee National Hospital; University of Glasgow, UK,Alan Ashworth, Consultant in Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust , UK

Dr Smith has been a Consultant in Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Intensive Care since 2006. Her clinical interests include cardiac anaesthesia, echocardiography and the care of patient with advanced heart failure requiring mechanical circulatory support and cardiac transplantation.


Dr McCall has been a Consultant in Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Intensive Care at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital since 2020. His clinical interests include thoracic anaesthesia, echocardiography and the intensive care management of heart failure and cardiogenic shock, including mechanical circulatory support.
He is involved in a wide range of peri-operative and intensive care research, but his own research interests are in the cardiovascular response, particularly of the right ventricle, to critical illness. He completed his MD (by research) thesis at the University of Glasgow in 2018 on the topic; “the right ventricular response to lung resection.

Dr Ashworth has been a Consultant in Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine for 12 years. Dr Ashworth works in a large tertiary referral Cardiothoracic centre. The unit also undertakes Heart and Lung transplantation, mechanical circulatory support and respiratory ECMO. Dr Ashworth is the Deputy Clinical Director for Cardiothoracic Critical Care and Quality and Safety lead.
Dr Ashworth is a Consultant Clinical Adviser for National Institute of Health and Care Excellence in the Interventional Procedures programme supporting safe innovation within the NHS.