The Evidence for Vascular Surgery, 2nd edn.

Abstract

This textbook offers the reader a comprehensible and wellillustrated journey through the evidence available for the management of all of the most commonly encountered vascular patient conditions. From vascular consultants, trainees and nurse specialists to stroke specialists, cardiologists, anaesthetists and diabetologists this book offers easily accessible review material of issues that are faced every day in the management of vascular disease. The second edition has come along way from the original with the addition of several new chapters, which include the designation of accepted grading of evidence levels and recommendations for clinical practice. Each chapter topic has been the product of a systematic review of the literature performed by designated members of the Joint Vascular Research Group. The chapters follow a traditional format of introduction and background, and give a discussion of the literature sometimes tabulating the salient studies with their evidence grades and ending with recommendations for clinical practice. Interestingly, there is a conflict between chapters covering arterial and venous topics as to whether they reference National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines. NICE guidance and systematic reviews are not referred to in chapters covering carotid artery stent placement, abdominal aortic aneurysm stent placement or stent graft replacement in the thoracic aortic aneurysm. NICE guidance and systematic review work is, however, acknowledged and described briefly in the chapter covering new interventions for varicose veins. Nonetheless, the brevity of the reference may leave the reader having to look up the guidelines to befully in the picture. We also note that, unusually for a comprehensive 270-page text, there is no index. This is one thing that has not changed since the first edition. Taken as a whole, the authors are to be congratulated on the very readable text with superb colour illustrations and photographs that are featured throughout every chapter. In this respect, the book is certainly ahead of others with which it might compete and with its new more sophisticated presentation we welcome its arrival.