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Cardiothoracic Surgery. Edited by Fritz J Baumgartner, md . 280 pages, illustrated. Georgetown, TX: Landes Bioscience, 1999.
Vol. 191, No. 1, July 2000
most important surgical diseases and therefore superficial, it is not appropriate for medical students planning surgical careers or for surgical housestaff or practicing surgeons. The level of sophistication in the text is not sufficient for these latter groups. This book is organized in a traditional manner, with beginning chapters dealing with broad surgical topics followed by organ-specific topics. Two novel and very useful chapters for medical students include “How to survive and excel in a surgical clerkship” and “Ethical issues in surgical practice.” The accompanying multiple choice examination questions provide useful reinforcement for the material presented in the chapters. The mini-atlas of surgical procedures, techniques, and skills which conclude the text can provide a beginning medical student with a simplified understanding of surgical procedures and orient students in a relatively efficient manner for procedures they are about to witness. Most chapters contain tabular representation of important information and most also contain appropriate treatment algorithms. The reproduction quality of radiographs is moderate, due to the quality of the paper stock, and useful information is obscured in perhaps one of four. The coverage of general surgical topics is very simplified, without room for subtlety or nuance. This superficiality is a problem to surgical educators intent upon recruiting talented medical students to careers in surgery. Nonetheless, the first and second editions of this text have been enormously popular with medical students not intending to enter surgical fields. For every medical student toting around one of the larger hardbound surgical tomes there are ten with this softbound volume stashed in a backpack. With the majority of the medical students not pursuing surgical careers (currently about 85% of medical school classes), this third edition book is a useful reference. Cardiothoracic Surgery. Edited by Fritz J Baumgartner, MD. 280 pages, illustrated. Georgetown, TX: Landes Bioscience, 1999.
Book Reviews
121
activity of the cardiothoracic surgeon in the operating room and in the intensive care unit. The target audience is the surgical resident at all levels of experience from intern to fellow. While this manual should serve as an excellent reference for the junior resident, realistically the cardiothoracic fellow should be seeking a more comprehensive source for study. Regardless, this manual with its highdensity volume of practical information would be useful in the coat pocket of even the brightest senior cardiothoracic fellow. The topics of anatomy, physiology, pathology, as well as the medical and surgical management of the adult cardiothoracic patient, are succinctly reviewed. Pediatric thoracic topics such as tracheoesophageal fistula are covered, but a review of congenital heart surgery is lacking. The writing style is authoritative, consistently fluid, and readable. Exceptional concise descriptions of surgical technique permeate the manual providing the greatest aid to both the novice and experienced surgical resident. an adequate number of illustrations are found and all are high in pedagogic value as well as print quality. A sufficient number of current and pertinent references conclude each chapter. Unfortunately, only a few treatment algorithms can be found and are alarmingly absent in the intensive care chapter where their use would seem natural. While these types of manuals are finding increasingly large company on the shelves of medical bookstores, this manual stands as a unique entry as the editor and contributors provide vivid descriptions of cardiothoracic surgical techniques. Successful completion of the manual ensures increased comprehension of cardiothoracic surgery by the junior resident. The portability provides a reliable, quick review at the fingertips of the cardiothoracic surgical fellow. Still, the paucity of treatment algorithms limits the overall usefulness of this book in the perioperative setting.
Reviewed by Robert Strange, MD
Endoscopic Gastric Surgery. Edited by E Hanisch, M Kitajim, MD, FACS, T Wehrmann, A Encke, MD, FACS. 134 pages, illustrated. $85.00. New York: Springer-Verlag New York Inc, 2000.
This pocket-sized, spiral ring manual is a rapid review of cardiothoracic surgery for the surgical resident. The purpose is to promote a better understanding of the rationale influencing the daily
Reviewed by John F Sweeney, MD. This first-edition monograph is focused on minimally invasive surgery of the foregut. The editors
most important surgical diseases and therefore superficial, it is not appropriate for medical students planning surgical careers or for surgical housestaff or practicing surgeons. The level of sophistication in the text is not sufficient for these latter groups. This book is organized in a traditional manner, with beginning chapters dealing with broad surgical topics followed by organ-specific topics. Two novel and very useful chapters for medical students include “How to survive and excel in a surgical clerkship” and “Ethical issues in surgical practice.” The accompanying multiple choice examination questions provide useful reinforcement for the material presented in the chapters. The mini-atlas of surgical procedures, techniques, and skills which conclude the text can provide a beginning medical student with a simplified understanding of surgical procedures and orient students in a relatively efficient manner for procedures they are about to witness. Most chapters contain tabular representation of important information and most also contain appropriate treatment algorithms. The reproduction quality of radiographs is moderate, due to the quality of the paper stock, and useful information is obscured in perhaps one of four. The coverage of general surgical topics is very simplified, without room for subtlety or nuance. This superficiality is a problem to surgical educators intent upon recruiting talented medical students to careers in surgery. Nonetheless, the first and second editions of this text have been enormously popular with medical students not intending to enter surgical fields. For every medical student toting around one of the larger hardbound surgical tomes there are ten with this softbound volume stashed in a backpack. With the majority of the medical students not pursuing surgical careers (currently about 85% of medical school classes), this third edition book is a useful reference. Cardiothoracic Surgery. Edited by Fritz J Baumgartner, MD. 280 pages, illustrated. Georgetown, TX: Landes Bioscience, 1999.
Book Reviews
121
activity of the cardiothoracic surgeon in the operating room and in the intensive care unit. The target audience is the surgical resident at all levels of experience from intern to fellow. While this manual should serve as an excellent reference for the junior resident, realistically the cardiothoracic fellow should be seeking a more comprehensive source for study. Regardless, this manual with its highdensity volume of practical information would be useful in the coat pocket of even the brightest senior cardiothoracic fellow. The topics of anatomy, physiology, pathology, as well as the medical and surgical management of the adult cardiothoracic patient, are succinctly reviewed. Pediatric thoracic topics such as tracheoesophageal fistula are covered, but a review of congenital heart surgery is lacking. The writing style is authoritative, consistently fluid, and readable. Exceptional concise descriptions of surgical technique permeate the manual providing the greatest aid to both the novice and experienced surgical resident. an adequate number of illustrations are found and all are high in pedagogic value as well as print quality. A sufficient number of current and pertinent references conclude each chapter. Unfortunately, only a few treatment algorithms can be found and are alarmingly absent in the intensive care chapter where their use would seem natural. While these types of manuals are finding increasingly large company on the shelves of medical bookstores, this manual stands as a unique entry as the editor and contributors provide vivid descriptions of cardiothoracic surgical techniques. Successful completion of the manual ensures increased comprehension of cardiothoracic surgery by the junior resident. The portability provides a reliable, quick review at the fingertips of the cardiothoracic surgical fellow. Still, the paucity of treatment algorithms limits the overall usefulness of this book in the perioperative setting.
Reviewed by Robert Strange, MD
Endoscopic Gastric Surgery. Edited by E Hanisch, M Kitajim, MD, FACS, T Wehrmann, A Encke, MD, FACS. 134 pages, illustrated. $85.00. New York: Springer-Verlag New York Inc, 2000.
This pocket-sized, spiral ring manual is a rapid review of cardiothoracic surgery for the surgical resident. The purpose is to promote a better understanding of the rationale influencing the daily
Reviewed by John F Sweeney, MD. This first-edition monograph is focused on minimally invasive surgery of the foregut. The editors