Pocket Anesthesia

Abstract

Pocket Anesthesia Urman, R. D. & Ehrenfeld, J. M. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins , Philadelphia , ISBN 9780781795845 , 256 pp . , Price £29.95 This book is presented as a hard covered 18 × 11 cm folder containing ring bound, small and rather thin (and possibly fragile) page leaves. It probably would fit in a coat, but no smaller, pocket. The two lead authors/editors are both ‘instructors-in-anesthesia’ in Boston, Massachusetts but in total 39 further authors, all based in the USA, contributed to the writing of the individual chapters. This book is clearly aimed at the US market and much of the content refers to US practice including procedures, equipment and drugs specific to the US. It even contains a chapter titled ‘Common medical phrases in Spanish’ which, I imagine, reflects the large proportion of Spanish-speaking population within the US. It leans heavily towards US anaesthetic practice and there are therefore obvious omissions when considering my own practice in the UK. Many of the drugs mentioned, (such as Roxanol and methnaltrexone) will be unfamiliar to the non-US anaesthetist and there are some notable omissions relating to UK practice (such as diamorphine). The book covers all areas one would expect from an anaesthetic textbook, such as pharmacology, equipment and monitoring, general anaesthetic techniques, ventilation and fluid therapy. There are dedicated sections on both acute and chronic pain, intra-operative and postoperative problems associated with anaesthesia, and trauma and burn management. Separate chapters on anaesthesia for each surgical specialty follow as well as sections on ECG interpretation, ethical issues in anaesthesia and emergency algorithms. The chapters are clearly laid out making information easy to find and the text is largely presented in bullet points interspersed with tables and the occasional diagram. There is no doubt, even at first glance, that there is a huge amount of information contained within this book. However, in order to achieve its aim of being ‘pocket’, the text is extremely small and as a result it makes for difficult reading for any length of time. The basic sciences and anaesthetic theory sections are particularly well presented and this book will no doubt find use as a revision guide for anaesthetic exams and a portable book for revising when the situation arises. It would also be very useful for more senior anaesthetists when questioning those approaching exams – its size would make it a very portable textbook. The chapters on the individual specialities are well laid out and the basic science and background are covered well. However, the anaesthetic techniques for specific surgical procedures are covered less well, and it would not be clear to me how to anaesthetise a patient for a particular procedure from the information in this book alone, if I were new to anaesthesia or unfamiliar with a certain procedure. In fact, there are some points made, relating to particular procedures, that I would disagree with, although perhaps this will always be the case within anaesthesia where there is rarely only one way to proceed. What this book does well is to present the basic sciences and ‘anaesthetic’ sciences, rather than being a more practical guide to anaesthetic techniques. I would not be able to do a brachial plexus block using the information in this book alone but would be able to quiz my trainees well on the sciences. In summary, whilst it might not be a perfect practical guide to anaesthetic techniques, as a pocket anaesthetic textbook it ticks many boxes and will no doubt find a place in some anaesthetists’ pockets. Whilst primarily aimed at US practice there will be a place for this book outside the US.