Intensive care medicine requires rapid therapeutic measures without errors and uncertainties. The author provides doctors with quick and clear assistance for the competent care of a wide range of patients in a surgical intensive care unit. He addresses common medical conditions from abdominal, thoracic, and cardiac surgery, traumatology, obstetrics, and internal medicine. Practically, he conveys fundamental knowledge regarding artificial ventilation, alternative techniques, and (para)enteral nutrition. Special attention is given to conditions such as sepsis, including its pathophysiology and the interplay between coagulation and inflammation.