Written with a conversational tone and using a case-based approach, the emphasis is on how to oversee comparatively common clinical problems emergently. The goal is to provide readily implementable solutions and to challenge the reader with making acute decisions in common patient examples. The brief discussions boil down to the essentials and bare necessities of neurocritical care. This third edition has over twenty new cases with new coverage on contemporary issues. Expansion of previously discussed topics include additional complications in traumatic brain injury and subarachnoid hemorrhage, complications after craniotomy, elusive rapid progressive brain disease, "wake-up stroke" immune checkpoint inhibitor and CAR-T cell therapy complications, complications of LVAD, and early prognostication and communication conundrums. An easy read for new physicians, residents, and medical students, it provides practical advice from the authors' seasoned experiences.