"The primary thrust of our book is to quickly provide guidance and prepare those anesthesia and critical care providers who respond to a disaster-whether as a volunteer traveling to help at a disaster site or as a responder who has survived a disaster event at home. The book intends to be a clinical guide to the essentials of anesthesia and critical care for disasters and austere environments. It can also serve as a guide for those doing mission work under austere conditions. It is not a comprehensive reference textbook but rather, a practical primer or refresher for the field"