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Complications in anesthesia
0 Book
Reviews
Numb Toes and Aching Peripheral Neuropathy
John A. Senneff MedPress, San Antonio,
Soles: Coping
J. Frederick Jones, M.D.
With
Fellow, Pain Medicine Center Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1999, 300 pp., $19.95
“To those suffering the pain of peripheral neuropathy in its most cruel forms, that they might find help and hope in these pages.”
Accepted
for publication
Complications
Such is the desire of author John Senneff, a retired lawyer, and himself a lo-year victim of peripheral neuropathy. He spent a protracted period experiencing the frustrating array of “numbness in my toes and tingling, prickling, and burning sensations which seemed, at different times, to radiate all over my feet.” The search for his diagnosis and the realization of the “general lack of knowledge concerning peripheral neuropathy-this bizarre affliction which so few people know by name, but which so many endure,” motivated him to chronicle this disorder in a sensitive, compassionate, factual, and novel way. He has done so from the point of view of the layperson. This he consistently reveals in a disclaimer reading, “comments re: . . . are not to be considered medical opinions and should not be relied upon as such-always consult your doctor.” The book is a compendium of personally written anecdotes by patients with peripheral neuropathy as to the disease, the diagnosis, the caregivers, and the treatment regimens-some traditional and some alternative. He gains allies to his cause by coining the term “PNers,” which he uses in preference to victims, afflictees, patients, and sufferers. The organization, the style, and the content are engaging, compassionate, and factual; they make the book ultimately readable. The “PNer” will find herein a story to match their own-success or failure-and an emotion to match their ownelation and hopelessness. The caregiver will find an anecdote to match the vast array of treatments, their successes and failures, in the words of nearly every patient they may have treated as a “PNer.” Senneff provides a clear window toward understanding the devastating psychological and physical impacts that neuropathies can have while giving hope and understanding to his fellow “PNers.” Regional
Anesthesia
and Pain Medicine,
August
18, 1999.
in Anesthesia
ISBN: O-7216-7161-6 John L. Atlee W.B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 1005 pp., $95.00
1999,
It is refreshing to have expectations fulfilled. John L. Atlee, in intending to furnish a handy and logical reference to virtually every known anesthesia complication, surprisingly seems to have satisfied his stated goals. The chapter format is unexpected, as first a case history is outlined, and then a stepwise sequence of analysis follows. This sequence uniformly defines the problem, shows the reader how to recognize the diagnosis, then discusses management and prevention. The tables and algorithms shown are consistently useful, and only a handful of pertinent references are listed per chapter. This renders each chapter as being short and concise, which further encourages its use as an intended handy reference for understanding complications in anesthesia. Topics are first arranged with discussions involving adverse events of pharmacology, general and regional anesthesia, and then pain management. Special consideration is given to dilemmas in cardiac and thoracic surgery, then coexisting disease and pathophysiology are discussed. An emphasis on problems with anesthesia equipment and monitoring is particularly notable for this presentation format, and will surely benefit the general practitioner as well as those preparing for written or oral examinations. The remaining chapters present cases involving complications in pediatrics, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, ENT, and then surgical subspecialties such as obstetrics, general surgery, urologic surgery, and orthopedic surgery. The last section addresses special topics on medicolegal, postanesthesia, and anesthetic concerns outside the operating room. Included are excellent discussions on current Vo125,
No 3 (May-June),
2000:
pp 333-334
333
334
Regional
Anesthesia
and Pain Medicine
Vol. 25 No. 3 May-June
issues regarding cost containment, anesthetic mishaps, and malpractice. The authors commendably organize a particular clinical problem into a meritoriously systematic and logical method of presentation. Because of the tactical method of problem solving, this book is particularly valuable to anesthesia providers in training, especially those expected to emulate this methodology of analytical thinking when verbalizing problem-solving abilities in daily practice or on oral examinations. Additionally, it would be well served as a reference book on complications encountered by the general anesthesia provider. In this regard, when a complication occurs and a quick reference is needed, the authors expertly speak to us from the book’s pages. It is therefore recommended that this book be best used in an accessible manner, perhaps in close proximity to the operating rooms. Margaret Aranda, M.D. Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Accepted for publication November 4, 1999.
Pain Management and Regional Anesthesia in Trauma ISBN: o-7020-2285-3 Andrew D. Rosenberg, Christopher M. Grande, Ralph L. Bernstein, Eds. W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia, 2000, 436 pp., $59.95 A casual glance at this book title correctly portrays images of a text which focuses on pain management in patients with trauma, an important subset of patients about which little is written. The additional component of “regional anesthesia” is a curiosity of sorts, and reflects the editors’ stated importance of these techniques in this setting. Presented on behalf of the International Trauma Anesthesia and Critical Care Society (ITACCS), the book first provides an interesting walk through a general introduction of trauma, including the history of trauma anesthesia. This includes excerpts on trauma therapy from such sources as the Egyptian Ebers Papyrus (circa 1500 BC), the Bible, and The Iliad (circa 900 BC). Additional descriptions from some of the first recorded medical books include tortoise-shell writings from the Shang Dynasty (approximately 1500 BC). From bloodletting after the Roman Empire fell, through
2000
the relative contributions of the First and Second World Wars, to the current role of the trauma anesthesiologist and the critical care specialist, the book then details the epidemiology of trauma both nationwide and internationally. Discussions of the basic components of pain pathways, the pharmacologic treatment of acute and chronic pain, and regional anesthesia and analgesia follow. The second section comprehensively follows the trauma patient through injury in the field to the emergency room, operating room (OR), intensive care unit (ICU), and then rehabilitation. In the third section, specifics for providing regional anesthesia (i.e., PCA, epidural and spinal techniques, continuous blocks) are discussed, complete with a special chapter devoted to nonpharmacologic techniques for pain management. This is notable for short discussions of tense-release and mobilization techniques, hypnosis and imagery, psychotherapy, acupuncture, and therapeutic heat and cold. The fourth section discusses patient profile, focusing on the pain management of specific problems associated with trauma (e.g., burn, pregnancy, thoracic, neurologic, abdominal, orthopedic injury). While the previous chapters lay the foundation for this section, it can also be read piecemeal to assist in the particular management of specific injuries. As a result of the text format, particular issues (e.g., thoracic epidurals) may be comprehensively discussed in multiple sections. This text is appropriate for the general anesthesiologist (especially in the solo care of emergent trauma patients coming to the OR) providing a template for care of the trauma patient who requires ICU or rehabilitation care. This book is particularly suggested for those specializing in trauma anesthesia or trauma intensive care, and for those in pain management who are likely to interact with inpatients on a trauma service. It makes not only for fine reading, but may serve as a catalyst for closer interaction between those physicians specializing in pain medicine, trauma anesthesia, trauma critical care, and trauma surgery. Margaret Aranda, MD Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Accepted for publication January 12,200O.
Reviews
Numb Toes and Aching Peripheral Neuropathy
John A. Senneff MedPress, San Antonio,
Soles: Coping
J. Frederick Jones, M.D.
With
Fellow, Pain Medicine Center Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1999, 300 pp., $19.95
“To those suffering the pain of peripheral neuropathy in its most cruel forms, that they might find help and hope in these pages.”
Accepted
for publication
Complications
Such is the desire of author John Senneff, a retired lawyer, and himself a lo-year victim of peripheral neuropathy. He spent a protracted period experiencing the frustrating array of “numbness in my toes and tingling, prickling, and burning sensations which seemed, at different times, to radiate all over my feet.” The search for his diagnosis and the realization of the “general lack of knowledge concerning peripheral neuropathy-this bizarre affliction which so few people know by name, but which so many endure,” motivated him to chronicle this disorder in a sensitive, compassionate, factual, and novel way. He has done so from the point of view of the layperson. This he consistently reveals in a disclaimer reading, “comments re: . . . are not to be considered medical opinions and should not be relied upon as such-always consult your doctor.” The book is a compendium of personally written anecdotes by patients with peripheral neuropathy as to the disease, the diagnosis, the caregivers, and the treatment regimens-some traditional and some alternative. He gains allies to his cause by coining the term “PNers,” which he uses in preference to victims, afflictees, patients, and sufferers. The organization, the style, and the content are engaging, compassionate, and factual; they make the book ultimately readable. The “PNer” will find herein a story to match their own-success or failure-and an emotion to match their ownelation and hopelessness. The caregiver will find an anecdote to match the vast array of treatments, their successes and failures, in the words of nearly every patient they may have treated as a “PNer.” Senneff provides a clear window toward understanding the devastating psychological and physical impacts that neuropathies can have while giving hope and understanding to his fellow “PNers.” Regional
Anesthesia
and Pain Medicine,
August
18, 1999.
in Anesthesia
ISBN: O-7216-7161-6 John L. Atlee W.B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 1005 pp., $95.00
1999,
It is refreshing to have expectations fulfilled. John L. Atlee, in intending to furnish a handy and logical reference to virtually every known anesthesia complication, surprisingly seems to have satisfied his stated goals. The chapter format is unexpected, as first a case history is outlined, and then a stepwise sequence of analysis follows. This sequence uniformly defines the problem, shows the reader how to recognize the diagnosis, then discusses management and prevention. The tables and algorithms shown are consistently useful, and only a handful of pertinent references are listed per chapter. This renders each chapter as being short and concise, which further encourages its use as an intended handy reference for understanding complications in anesthesia. Topics are first arranged with discussions involving adverse events of pharmacology, general and regional anesthesia, and then pain management. Special consideration is given to dilemmas in cardiac and thoracic surgery, then coexisting disease and pathophysiology are discussed. An emphasis on problems with anesthesia equipment and monitoring is particularly notable for this presentation format, and will surely benefit the general practitioner as well as those preparing for written or oral examinations. The remaining chapters present cases involving complications in pediatrics, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, ENT, and then surgical subspecialties such as obstetrics, general surgery, urologic surgery, and orthopedic surgery. The last section addresses special topics on medicolegal, postanesthesia, and anesthetic concerns outside the operating room. Included are excellent discussions on current Vo125,
No 3 (May-June),
2000:
pp 333-334
333
334
Regional
Anesthesia
and Pain Medicine
Vol. 25 No. 3 May-June
issues regarding cost containment, anesthetic mishaps, and malpractice. The authors commendably organize a particular clinical problem into a meritoriously systematic and logical method of presentation. Because of the tactical method of problem solving, this book is particularly valuable to anesthesia providers in training, especially those expected to emulate this methodology of analytical thinking when verbalizing problem-solving abilities in daily practice or on oral examinations. Additionally, it would be well served as a reference book on complications encountered by the general anesthesia provider. In this regard, when a complication occurs and a quick reference is needed, the authors expertly speak to us from the book’s pages. It is therefore recommended that this book be best used in an accessible manner, perhaps in close proximity to the operating rooms. Margaret Aranda, M.D. Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Accepted for publication November 4, 1999.
Pain Management and Regional Anesthesia in Trauma ISBN: o-7020-2285-3 Andrew D. Rosenberg, Christopher M. Grande, Ralph L. Bernstein, Eds. W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia, 2000, 436 pp., $59.95 A casual glance at this book title correctly portrays images of a text which focuses on pain management in patients with trauma, an important subset of patients about which little is written. The additional component of “regional anesthesia” is a curiosity of sorts, and reflects the editors’ stated importance of these techniques in this setting. Presented on behalf of the International Trauma Anesthesia and Critical Care Society (ITACCS), the book first provides an interesting walk through a general introduction of trauma, including the history of trauma anesthesia. This includes excerpts on trauma therapy from such sources as the Egyptian Ebers Papyrus (circa 1500 BC), the Bible, and The Iliad (circa 900 BC). Additional descriptions from some of the first recorded medical books include tortoise-shell writings from the Shang Dynasty (approximately 1500 BC). From bloodletting after the Roman Empire fell, through
2000
the relative contributions of the First and Second World Wars, to the current role of the trauma anesthesiologist and the critical care specialist, the book then details the epidemiology of trauma both nationwide and internationally. Discussions of the basic components of pain pathways, the pharmacologic treatment of acute and chronic pain, and regional anesthesia and analgesia follow. The second section comprehensively follows the trauma patient through injury in the field to the emergency room, operating room (OR), intensive care unit (ICU), and then rehabilitation. In the third section, specifics for providing regional anesthesia (i.e., PCA, epidural and spinal techniques, continuous blocks) are discussed, complete with a special chapter devoted to nonpharmacologic techniques for pain management. This is notable for short discussions of tense-release and mobilization techniques, hypnosis and imagery, psychotherapy, acupuncture, and therapeutic heat and cold. The fourth section discusses patient profile, focusing on the pain management of specific problems associated with trauma (e.g., burn, pregnancy, thoracic, neurologic, abdominal, orthopedic injury). While the previous chapters lay the foundation for this section, it can also be read piecemeal to assist in the particular management of specific injuries. As a result of the text format, particular issues (e.g., thoracic epidurals) may be comprehensively discussed in multiple sections. This text is appropriate for the general anesthesiologist (especially in the solo care of emergent trauma patients coming to the OR) providing a template for care of the trauma patient who requires ICU or rehabilitation care. This book is particularly suggested for those specializing in trauma anesthesia or trauma intensive care, and for those in pain management who are likely to interact with inpatients on a trauma service. It makes not only for fine reading, but may serve as a catalyst for closer interaction between those physicians specializing in pain medicine, trauma anesthesia, trauma critical care, and trauma surgery. Margaret Aranda, MD Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Accepted for publication January 12,200O.