Vascular access: Principles and practice, 3rd edition

Abstract

Vascular access: Principles and practice, 3rd edition Samuel Eric Wilson, St. Louis, 1996, Mosby, 312 pages, $79. This book is one of the original texts on vascular access and remains at the forefront of the field with this new edition. The panel of contributing authors has been expanded over the first two editions, and the book has been reorganized. The current edition presents the material in a more useful and practical manner than earlier editions. The current volume separates chronic venous access from hemodialysis access, and presents a discussion of types of access (catheters, ports, prosthetic grafts, native fistulas) useful in the treatment of multiple diseases. The book starts with historical development of vascular access then proceeds with basic science and patient evaluation. The middle chapters cover the multitude of procedures, and their complications, for arteriovenous and chronic and acute venous access. The final chapters discuss some new endovascular techniques and instrumentation that appear to have value, but whose precise place in the armamentarium of the vascular access surgeon is as yet undefined. Included is a chapter on peritoneal access, giving the book full coverage of dialysis access. The chapters on management of infections, thrombolysis and transluminal angioplasty, vascular access for trauma, vascular interposition for hemodialysis, and vascular access for pediatric patients are particularly thorough and well-written. The quality of drawings and sketches is adequate throughout most of the text but disappointing in the important chapter on surgical anatomy. Some chapters refer to specific brand names of products rather than generic names. The proofreading of the text was quite good, as noted by very few spelling errors, none of which impacted the clarity of the text. The reorganization of this edition has been great improvement over the previous editions, and at a retail price of $79 this book is a good value. Compared to other texts it is now the most current and comprehensive. This book should be included in the library of anyone interested in vascular access surgery.