Recent Advances in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care 22

Abstract

A. P. Adams, J. N. Cashman and R. M. Greenwich Medical Media Ltd, London The latest addition to this long-running series provides us with 12 reviews over a wide spectrum of topics. Notably, this issue includes more intensive care medicine topics than previous editions and includes three chapters on non-clinical/scientific topics, namely Managing Medical Mishaps, Legal Issues in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care and Education and Training in Anaesthesia. The book begins with three pharmacology reviews on the COX enzyme system, stereoisomerism, including an excellent description of the associated terminology and nomenclature making a useful prelude to the chapter on New Local Anaesthetics. The book then continues on a more clinical theme with reviews on Asthma, Reducing Postoperative Mortality/Morbidity in High Risk Patients, Prone Ventilation, Nosocomial Infection and Neuropathic Pain. As will always be the case with text books (even those entitled Recent Advances) there will be certain omissions of recent papers or developments and many of the issues discussed will have been well documented for several, even many years. However, all the chapters are well written and indexed and make reading that is not only interesting and informative but also relevant to everyday practice for us all. It is the later part of the book that moves away from the clinical and scientific areas with the chapters on Medical Mishaps, Legal Issues and Training and for me it was here that this edition really came to life and presented reviews less likely to be encountered within my usual reading. All three of these chapters are highly topical, excellently written by specialists from within these fields and make essential reading to any prospective interview candidate. The book concludes with a review of the advances made in Resuscitation, both basic and advanced, including the basis for the use of biphasic defibrillators and the changes to the suggested use of antidysrhythmics. In summary, this edition continues to provide excellent reviews of an increasingly wide field of subjects and although much of the material may not strictly be recent advances, the topics are all very topical for one or other reason and thus this book makes recommended reading to all anaesthetists and intensivists and essential reading to those with ensuing exams or interviews.