The papers in this section review recent developments in the diagnosis and management of patients who are critically ill due to toxic exposures. Several of the papers reviewed present techniques that offer the potential of reducing morbidity, reducing cost, or (best of all) both together. Improvements in technology often produce significant benefits in the management of patients with critical illness. A simple flutter valve device may provide similar benefits in less severely compromised patients. However, the effectiveness of technology in improving patient outcomes must be carefully evaluated in clinical studies that consider the many factors which influence the course of critical illnesses. The use of bronchoscopy to detect airway burns and the use of hyperbaric oxygen to treat carbon monoxide intoxication are applications of established technologies for which efficacy in these specific of situations has not been conclusively proven. Finally, the use of heart rate period variability to assess patients with possible tricyclic antidepressant overdoses represents an application of a technology which is still in the developmental phase. Traditional methods to assess the risk for adverse outcomes from overdoses using an index based on several clinical findings still merit evaluation.