In the next issue of „Postępy Nauk Medycznych” we are presenting papers concerning the most essential issues faced by physicians working on intensive care units. Infections in patients staying in these units often constitute the direct cause of hospitalization (e.g. in the course of sepsis). In successive papers the authors describe various clinical pictures of disease entities frequently entangled with infections of the respiratory system, and also ways of monitoring these infections as well as proposals for their treatment.

Very interesting points are raised by Doctor Ewa Miller in her paper on the monitoring of the function of surfactant in various disease entities. The range of studies indicates that independently of the original aetiology, surfactant disorders are one of the factors of development of lung function disorders connected with acute lung injury. This paper draws attention to the possibilities to use the assessment of surfactant function in monitoring injuries of the respiratory system.