The intensive care unit can be a very intimidating place, not only for patients, but for their doctors and nurses as well. Usually, only the sickest of the sick get admitted to the ICU. In many countries around the world, in fact, an admission to the ICU is synonymous with a death sentence. It is essential that clinicians tasked with caring for patients in the ICU be prepared for what may face them while working there.

Gleaned from more than twenty years experience of working in the ICU as a critical care specialist, as well as leading ICU programs in multiple states across the country, Hesham A. Hassaballa, MD (Author of Code Blue) shares his experiences and offers best practices for success in the ICU.

Advance Praise for the Book:

“Sometimes funny, sometimes heart wrenching, and always on the money, placing the patient first and foremost. Dr Hassaballa’s take on life in the ICU may be written for fellow doctors, but it provides a real life window into the joys, challenges and agonies of the ICU wards, experiences shared by the doctors, nurses, caregivers, patients and their families. A must read for new caregivers entering the ICU and a fantastic guide for families seeking to navigate the often daunting world of the ICU. I’d love to see this book on tables in every ICU waiting room across the country.”

Dr. Robert Turner
Founder, Medika Life


“Dr. Hesham Hassaballa brings so much more to the bedside than his medical expertise and skill – he brings his expansive heart and soul to the timeless mission of healing people who arrive at the ICU and gives hope to the families who wait for their recovery. “How Not to Kill Someone in the ICU is a masterful – transparent and transformative – must-read penned by someone who has dreamt of being a physician since childhood and now shoulders the responsibility to search out and speak to the healthcare system’s underlying illnesses. This is a breakthrough book – almost poetry – written by someone who knows what is at stake for all who seek to heal or hope for healing.”

Gil Bashe, Chair Global Health and Purpose, FINN Partners
Editor-in-Chief, Medika Life