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Complications in Surgery
REVIEWS Complications in Surgery 2nd edition Michael Mulholland and Gerard Doherty, editors Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 2011, 800 pages, hardcover The clear and concise content in this excellent book will be meaningful to anyone involved in the care of the surgical patient, including anyone who cares for patients during and after their postanesthesia care unit stay. The writing style of the various authors is consistently precise and to the point. The authors describe complications that can occur during a surgical intervention, many of which perioperative nurses may not be aware. In the first section, titled “Institutional issues,” the editors discuss the need for a team approach to caring for the surgical patient. This section is composed of nine chapters covering topics that progress from the need to acknowledge that complications occur in surgery, and learn about what those complications are, to understanding current trends toward improving patient safety. The editors purposefully address the need for change in surgical education, surgeon self-perception, and surgical team members’ relationships. Their premise is that surgical professionals can no longer do business in the “old way” (eg, with the surgeon regarded as the “captain of the ship” who does not need anyone’s interference with his or her procedure). Rather, all members of the team must actively take part in ensuring that the patient is
helped, not harmed, by the surgical procedure. This section of the book sets the stage for all content that follows, and the editors make it very clear that we as professionals cannot move forward unless we do things differently. The remaining book is divided into “parts,” which are further divided into chapters. Each surgical procedure and its possible complications are described in individual chapters, and each chapter begins with goals and outcomes that the patient should optimally achieve. The specific risk factors associated with a particular patient population (eg, newborns and children, organ transplantation recipients) are well developed, and illustrations, radiographic images, figures, tables, and algorithms are included. Part 1 covers the essential starting point for ensuring that the surgical team is well poised to begin a surgical procedure. Part 2 includes preoperative assessment related to the risks inherent in any surgical procedure, including anesthetic complications as well as the various types of shock. In this section, the authors discuss wound healing as an essential part of asepsis. After these two sections, the chapters discuss common procedures and problems seen in thoracic, vascular, gastrointestinal, endocrine, and oncologic surgery as well as transplantation surgery. The book ends with a discussion of newborn and pediatric complications. The authors cover pre-existing conditions that affect the intraoperative and recovery phase of surgical intervention. In addition, preoperative assessment and screening of patients at risk for negative sequelae is discussed, as is the process of preparing these patients for undergoing a surgical procedure.
The AORN Journal is seeking reviewers. Interested authors can contact the book reviews editor by sending an e-mail to [email protected].
© AORN, Inc, 2012
February 2012
Vol 95
No 2 ● AORN Journal
305
February 2012
Vol 95
I especially like the use of a systems approach (ie, discussing the effects of surgery on the whole patient while focusing on the specific organ or system being operated on) to describing the complications inherent in surgery. For example, chapter 13 addresses how complications in wound healing affect patients whether they are having gallbladder or femoral artery surgery. Similarly, chapter 15 deals with septic shock, for which each surgical patient is at risk. It reminds the perioperative nurse to continue to strictly adhere to aseptic technique and demand the same of all members of the surgical team. The authors assume a certain basic understanding of anatomy and physiology, and reading this book also requires some familiarity with surgery and surgical procedures. Nevertheless, each chapter has numerous references, so it would not be difficult to learn more about a particular topic. The drawbacks to this text are few, but there are some. The majority of the authors are from the University of Michigan Departments of Surgery or Medicine; as a result, the text may be biased toward this university’s viewpoint or practices. In addition, three major specialties (ie, neurosurgery, otorhinolaryngology, orthopedics) are not covered. It may be that texts exist that specifically address complications seen in these specialties, but there was no explanation for the exclusion of these specialty areas. If they had been included, however, the book might have required approximately 500 more pages to cover complications seen in these specialties. Regardless, their exclusion negatively affects nurses and other readers who practice in these specialties and who need to know about their patients’ potential complications. This text is a “must have” for perioperative nurses, surgical technologists, Periop 101™ students and teachers, postanesthesia care unit nurses, and others who care for surgical patients perioperatively. It should be a required text for RN first assistants, and any AORN specialty assembly member would find this text of value. The 306
AORN Journal
REVIEWS
No 2
text also would be useful for anyone preparing for rounds or researching a particular surgical topic for a presentation. The perioperative nurse must understand how the care that the surgical team provides affects the patient and what becomes of the patient after the patient leaves the OR. This book is a valuable resource and a relevant resource for the perioperative nurse for a multitude of reasons. Although dense in content, Complications in Surgery would be an excellent addition to any perioperative library. PATRICIA STEIN RN, MAOL, CNOR CLINICAL DOCUMENTATION SPECIALIST HEALTH INFORMATION SWB-2 SCRIPPS GREEN HOSPITAL LA JOLLA, CA doi: 10.1016/j.aorn.2011.10.008
Editor’s note: Periop 101 is a trademark of AORN, Inc, Denver, CO.
Nursing 2012 Drug Handbook 32nd edition Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins 2011, 1568 pages, hardcover Although this classic nursing textbook is geared toward nursing students, it can also be a helpful resource for practicing nurses. The text lists all medications alphabetically, with an extensive index that allows the reader to search by both generic and trade name. Information on each medication follows a monograph format, and important information within each monograph is highlighted. The information includes the medication’s generic name and its brand or trade name, a pronunciation guide, therapeutic class, pharmacologic class, pregnancy category, indications for use and dosages, methods of
helped, not harmed, by the surgical procedure. This section of the book sets the stage for all content that follows, and the editors make it very clear that we as professionals cannot move forward unless we do things differently. The remaining book is divided into “parts,” which are further divided into chapters. Each surgical procedure and its possible complications are described in individual chapters, and each chapter begins with goals and outcomes that the patient should optimally achieve. The specific risk factors associated with a particular patient population (eg, newborns and children, organ transplantation recipients) are well developed, and illustrations, radiographic images, figures, tables, and algorithms are included. Part 1 covers the essential starting point for ensuring that the surgical team is well poised to begin a surgical procedure. Part 2 includes preoperative assessment related to the risks inherent in any surgical procedure, including anesthetic complications as well as the various types of shock. In this section, the authors discuss wound healing as an essential part of asepsis. After these two sections, the chapters discuss common procedures and problems seen in thoracic, vascular, gastrointestinal, endocrine, and oncologic surgery as well as transplantation surgery. The book ends with a discussion of newborn and pediatric complications. The authors cover pre-existing conditions that affect the intraoperative and recovery phase of surgical intervention. In addition, preoperative assessment and screening of patients at risk for negative sequelae is discussed, as is the process of preparing these patients for undergoing a surgical procedure.
The AORN Journal is seeking reviewers. Interested authors can contact the book reviews editor by sending an e-mail to [email protected].
© AORN, Inc, 2012
February 2012
Vol 95
No 2 ● AORN Journal
305
February 2012
Vol 95
I especially like the use of a systems approach (ie, discussing the effects of surgery on the whole patient while focusing on the specific organ or system being operated on) to describing the complications inherent in surgery. For example, chapter 13 addresses how complications in wound healing affect patients whether they are having gallbladder or femoral artery surgery. Similarly, chapter 15 deals with septic shock, for which each surgical patient is at risk. It reminds the perioperative nurse to continue to strictly adhere to aseptic technique and demand the same of all members of the surgical team. The authors assume a certain basic understanding of anatomy and physiology, and reading this book also requires some familiarity with surgery and surgical procedures. Nevertheless, each chapter has numerous references, so it would not be difficult to learn more about a particular topic. The drawbacks to this text are few, but there are some. The majority of the authors are from the University of Michigan Departments of Surgery or Medicine; as a result, the text may be biased toward this university’s viewpoint or practices. In addition, three major specialties (ie, neurosurgery, otorhinolaryngology, orthopedics) are not covered. It may be that texts exist that specifically address complications seen in these specialties, but there was no explanation for the exclusion of these specialty areas. If they had been included, however, the book might have required approximately 500 more pages to cover complications seen in these specialties. Regardless, their exclusion negatively affects nurses and other readers who practice in these specialties and who need to know about their patients’ potential complications. This text is a “must have” for perioperative nurses, surgical technologists, Periop 101™ students and teachers, postanesthesia care unit nurses, and others who care for surgical patients perioperatively. It should be a required text for RN first assistants, and any AORN specialty assembly member would find this text of value. The 306
AORN Journal
REVIEWS
No 2
text also would be useful for anyone preparing for rounds or researching a particular surgical topic for a presentation. The perioperative nurse must understand how the care that the surgical team provides affects the patient and what becomes of the patient after the patient leaves the OR. This book is a valuable resource and a relevant resource for the perioperative nurse for a multitude of reasons. Although dense in content, Complications in Surgery would be an excellent addition to any perioperative library. PATRICIA STEIN RN, MAOL, CNOR CLINICAL DOCUMENTATION SPECIALIST HEALTH INFORMATION SWB-2 SCRIPPS GREEN HOSPITAL LA JOLLA, CA doi: 10.1016/j.aorn.2011.10.008
Editor’s note: Periop 101 is a trademark of AORN, Inc, Denver, CO.
Nursing 2012 Drug Handbook 32nd edition Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins 2011, 1568 pages, hardcover Although this classic nursing textbook is geared toward nursing students, it can also be a helpful resource for practicing nurses. The text lists all medications alphabetically, with an extensive index that allows the reader to search by both generic and trade name. Information on each medication follows a monograph format, and important information within each monograph is highlighted. The information includes the medication’s generic name and its brand or trade name, a pronunciation guide, therapeutic class, pharmacologic class, pregnancy category, indications for use and dosages, methods of