Complications in Surgery

Book Review Complications in Surgery, edited by Michael W. Mulholland and Gerard M. Doherty, 826 pp, with illus, $159, Philadelphia, Pa, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (telephone: 800-6383030), 2006, ISBN 0-7817-5316-3 Type and Scope of Book: A multiauthored comprehensive text that details the possible complications and management options of those complications after general, vascular, thoracic, and pediatric surgical procedures. Contents: This 51-chapter textbook addresses the complex issue of postoperative complications. Unlike similar texts, both the preoperative and the perioperative risk factors that contribute to the complications are discussed. The text thoroughly details how to avoid common complications during the original surgery and the expected outcomes. Most of the text focuses on postoperative complications and how best to diagnose and manage them using an evidence-based approach. The presentation of the material is well standardized, which makes the book easy to read. The presentation of material beyond the text is good, with excellent line drawings and well-designed and readable tables. Strengths: This is a comprehensive well-written review of the most common complications that occur after general, vascular, and thoracic surgical procedures. A clear evidence-based approach to the diagnosis, management, and expected outcomes is presented. Deficiencies: Certain disease processes that may affect different areas and the associated surgical complications related to those processes are spread throughout different chapters. Therefore, it is difficult to acquire a concise view of possible complications associated with a specific disease process. Recommended Readership: Emergency department physicians, general practitioners and internists, general surgeons and residents, and medical libraries. Overall Grading: #### Robert R. Cima, MD, Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minn

Grading Key ★★★★★ = outstanding; ★★★★ = excellent; ★★★ = good; ★★ = fair; ★ = poor.

© 2006 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

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