The importance of the anaesthetist cannot be over-stated. The role continues to evolve and anaesthetists now have contact with the majority of patients admitted to hospital, not only providing the conditions under which surgery can be performed safely, but also playing a major role in preoperative assessment, postoperative care, pain management, recognition and management of the critically ill, and resuscitation.This third edition of Lecture Notes: Clinical Anaesthesia has been fully revised to