The goal of this book is not to follow a traditional systems or organ-based approach but rather to encourage our readers to think of the patients as complex biochemical systems.  The book provides information that supplements the more traditional approaches and provides a detailed overview of the metabolic knowledge needed for surgical practice. The text reviews normal physiology, the pathophysiology of starvation and surgical stressors. It also focuses on appropriate nutritional repletion for various common disease states. Specifically, chapters address the severe metabolic demands created by systemic inflammation, infection, and major insults such as trauma and burns. All chapters are written by experts in their fields and include the most up-to-date scientific and clinical information.