Book excerpt: The quintessential reference for bedside medical management of neurocritical care patients Medical management of patients in the neurocritical care unit (NCCU) often spells the difference between life or death and return to normal function or a lifetime disability. As such, it is vital that patients with life-threatening neurological and neurosurgical illnesses receive prompt diagnosis and rapid interventions in the NCCU. The Jefferson Manual for Neurocritical Care by renowned neurosurgeon Jack I. Jallo, neurointensive care physician Jacqueline S. Urtecho, and distinguished colleagues is a high-yield pocket resource ideal for the bedside care of patients with serious, life-altering diseases. Nineteen concise chapters encompass cerebrovascular, neuromuscular, oncologic, and traumatic conditions, as well as core clinical topics applicable to the care of neurocritical patients. Key Highlights Evidence-based management strategies created at Thomas Jefferson University's Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience presented in reader-friendly algorithms, pictures, and charts General chapters cover brain death, sodium dysregulation, nutrition, sedation, pain management, neuromonitoring, and ventilation strategies Disease-specific chapters featuring succinct, bulleted format include epidemiology, causes, diagnostic tests, treatment options, symptoms, common clinical presentation, risk factors, differential diagnoses, and more This manual is an indispensable resource for neurocritical care residents and fellows, NCCU nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, general intensive care physicians, and neurointensivists.