The care of the critically ill or injured child begins with timely, prompt, and aggressive res- citation and stabilization. Ideally, stabilization should occur before the onset of organ failure in order to achieve the best possible outcomes. In the following pages, an international panel of experts provides an in-depth discussion of the early recognition, resuscitation, and stabilization of the critically ill or injured child. Once again, we would like to dedicate this textbook to our families and to the physicians and nurses who provide steadfast care every day in pediatric intensive care units across the globe. Derek S. Wheeler Hector R. Wong Thomas P. Shanley V Preface to Pediatric Critical Care Medicine: Basic Science and Clinical Evidence The ? eld of critical care medicine is growing at a tremendous pace, and tremendous advances in the understanding of critical illness have been realized in the last decade. My family has directly bene? ted from some of the technological and scienti? c advances made in the care of critically ill children. My son Ryan was born during my third year of medical school. By some peculiar happenstance, I was nearing completion of a 4-week rotation in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU). The head of the pediatrics clerkship was kind enough to let me have a few days off around the time of the delivery—my wife, Cathy, was 2 weeks past her due date and had been scheduled for elective induction.