Intensive care has been one of the marvels of modern medicine. For centuries, many conditions like septic shock, major trauma, or acute decompensations of chronic pulmonary, cardiac, or liver disease, carried a terrible prognosis. But, with the development and dissemination of modern intensive care systems, the ability to rapidly evaluate and resuscitate patients and to provide vital organ support, such as mechanical ventilation, has led to dramatic reductions in hospital mortality rates. A side-effect of this success, however, is the ever-growing population of individuals who survive life-threatening illness only to face a long and protracted road to recovery.