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Obstetric Clinical Care. Edited by Crawford J. S., Weaver J. B. and Wilday R. J. Published by Elsevier North-Holland Biomedical Press. Pp. 417; illustrated. Price £32.25.
Br. J. Anaesth. (1981), 53, 195
BOOK REVIEWS Parenteral and Entered Nutrition—A Practical Guide. By G. D. Phillips and C. L. Odgers. Published (1980) by Flinder's University, South Australia. Pp. 105; illustrated; indexed. Price A88.75.
Obstetric Clinical Care. Edited by J. S. Crawford, J. B. Weaver and R. J. Wilday. Published by Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press. Pp. 417; illustrated. Price £32.25. This book is a review of the proceedings of the first European Congress of Obstetric Anaesthesia and Analgesia which was held in Birmingham in September 1979, and does justice to a first class meeting. It provides an excellent balance between presented material and discussion, which is probably in no small way a result of the unusual format of the meeting. Following the presentation of three papers, the audience split into groups of approximately 30 people under a chairman to discuss these papers. Points from these discussions were then referred back via the chairmen to the original speakers at the end of the session.
Obstetric Analgesia and Anaesthesia. Monographs in Anaesthesiology No. 7. By G. F. Mara and G. M. Bassell. Published (1980) by Elscvier/North-HoUand Bio-Medical Press. Pp. 415; illustrated; indexed. Price $75.50. This book is the latest addition to a group of several texts published since 1975 on obstetric analgesia and anaesthesia. Its stated aim is to provide an overview of this field for all members of the obstetric care team, but particularly for obstetric anaesthesia residents, registrars and fellows. Twelve of the contributors work in the U.S.A. and six work this side of the Atlantic. Much of the information in the book is available in the other texts, but there are differences both in the presentation of material and in the selection of references. There are 34 pages on the "physiologic considerations of the mother" and a further 76 pages concerning uterine, placental and neonatal physiology. Normal maternal arterial carbon dioxide and oxygen tensions are given as 32-33 torr and 106-108 torr respectively, quoting "Andersen et al. (1969)" in the text, but giving "Andersen and Walker (1970)" in the list of references at the end of the chapter. Andersen's blood samples were taken after the patients had been resting in the supine position for 5 min. It would perhaps have been better to have quoted the figures of Tcmpleton and Kelman (1976), and presented them in relation to gestational age. In the part on general anaesthesia for Caesarean section a favoured induction procedure was a sequence of ketamine 0.4-0.5 mg kg"' followed by thiopentone 2 mg kg"'. The use of the head-up position combined with cricoid pressure was recommended. Inability to intubate the trachea is discussed in a 43-line section under complications, but it is not indexed under any of the expected headings. The treatment recommended for overcoming intubation difficulty from oedema of the laryngeal
Downloaded from http://bja.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Winnipeg on August 30, 2015
This small monograph of 95 pages, including appendices, was developed from notes on "Parenteral Nutrition and Gastric Tube Feeding" written in 1977 as guidelines for the staff of Flinder's Medical Centre. The authors emphasize their intention of providing a clear safe practical guide for the "nonexpert" and accordingly the text is concise and necessarily didactic. The subject matter is divided into 26 brief chapters, some of which are little more than expanded paragraphs, but which contain a surprising amount of information supplemented by references in areas of controversy. The first 10 chapters encompass Perspective, Logistic Considerations, Indications and Contra Indications, Venous Access and Dietary Component Requirements. These are followed by chapters on Complications, Monitoring and a more contentious section on the Role of the Nurse. Chapters 14-16 refer to parenteral nutrition in specific disease states and in the home and chapters 17-21 describe the pharmacological aspects of the preparation of solutions and the problems associated with the maintenance of sterility and additive compatibility. The text then concludes with short sections on Protein Sparing Techniques, Nutritional Assessment, Paediatrics and Enteral Comparisons. While undoubtedly there are points of criticism in the recommended techniques—for example catheters should never be introduced through needles—and disagreement over some aspects of the text, there is still a great deal of valuable practical advice offered to the reader. Of particular merit is the emphasis on the role of the pharmacist in the aseptic preparation of correctly balanced solutions and the concept of the parenteral nutrition team. Unfortunately, as the book was aimed at Australian readers, many of the products mentioned are irrelevant to British practice; nevertheless, the fundamental principles remain unchanged and for its price it remains good value as a basic primer. Winifred E. I. Finlay
The meeting was concerned with the clinical care of mother and baby rather than with presentation of recent research. The subjects included relief of pain in labour, anaesthesia for operative obstetrics, ante-natal care, neonatal resuscitation and intensive care of mother and neonate. These topics were discussed by anaesthetists and by other specialists—a physiotherapist, midwives, obstetricians, paediatricians and an intensive care physician. The result is an up-to-date review of current clinical practice. Indeed, throughout the book the mulitdisciplinary nature of the subject and the need for close cooperation between disciplines, is stressed. The book was produced relatively quickly, and this may account for a number of irritating spelling mistakes and the occasional obvious misprint—"hypertension should be treated with ephedrine". Some of the forms of therapy advocated are unlikely to gain favour in this country, for example the use of propanidid to relieve pain in the late stages of labour. These criticisms are very minor and the editors are to be congratulated on producing an up-to-date summary of clinical practice which should be in the library of all departments involved with the perinatal period. M. Morgan
BOOK REVIEWS Parenteral and Entered Nutrition—A Practical Guide. By G. D. Phillips and C. L. Odgers. Published (1980) by Flinder's University, South Australia. Pp. 105; illustrated; indexed. Price A88.75.
Obstetric Clinical Care. Edited by J. S. Crawford, J. B. Weaver and R. J. Wilday. Published by Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press. Pp. 417; illustrated. Price £32.25. This book is a review of the proceedings of the first European Congress of Obstetric Anaesthesia and Analgesia which was held in Birmingham in September 1979, and does justice to a first class meeting. It provides an excellent balance between presented material and discussion, which is probably in no small way a result of the unusual format of the meeting. Following the presentation of three papers, the audience split into groups of approximately 30 people under a chairman to discuss these papers. Points from these discussions were then referred back via the chairmen to the original speakers at the end of the session.
Obstetric Analgesia and Anaesthesia. Monographs in Anaesthesiology No. 7. By G. F. Mara and G. M. Bassell. Published (1980) by Elscvier/North-HoUand Bio-Medical Press. Pp. 415; illustrated; indexed. Price $75.50. This book is the latest addition to a group of several texts published since 1975 on obstetric analgesia and anaesthesia. Its stated aim is to provide an overview of this field for all members of the obstetric care team, but particularly for obstetric anaesthesia residents, registrars and fellows. Twelve of the contributors work in the U.S.A. and six work this side of the Atlantic. Much of the information in the book is available in the other texts, but there are differences both in the presentation of material and in the selection of references. There are 34 pages on the "physiologic considerations of the mother" and a further 76 pages concerning uterine, placental and neonatal physiology. Normal maternal arterial carbon dioxide and oxygen tensions are given as 32-33 torr and 106-108 torr respectively, quoting "Andersen et al. (1969)" in the text, but giving "Andersen and Walker (1970)" in the list of references at the end of the chapter. Andersen's blood samples were taken after the patients had been resting in the supine position for 5 min. It would perhaps have been better to have quoted the figures of Tcmpleton and Kelman (1976), and presented them in relation to gestational age. In the part on general anaesthesia for Caesarean section a favoured induction procedure was a sequence of ketamine 0.4-0.5 mg kg"' followed by thiopentone 2 mg kg"'. The use of the head-up position combined with cricoid pressure was recommended. Inability to intubate the trachea is discussed in a 43-line section under complications, but it is not indexed under any of the expected headings. The treatment recommended for overcoming intubation difficulty from oedema of the laryngeal
Downloaded from http://bja.oxfordjournals.org/ at University of Winnipeg on August 30, 2015
This small monograph of 95 pages, including appendices, was developed from notes on "Parenteral Nutrition and Gastric Tube Feeding" written in 1977 as guidelines for the staff of Flinder's Medical Centre. The authors emphasize their intention of providing a clear safe practical guide for the "nonexpert" and accordingly the text is concise and necessarily didactic. The subject matter is divided into 26 brief chapters, some of which are little more than expanded paragraphs, but which contain a surprising amount of information supplemented by references in areas of controversy. The first 10 chapters encompass Perspective, Logistic Considerations, Indications and Contra Indications, Venous Access and Dietary Component Requirements. These are followed by chapters on Complications, Monitoring and a more contentious section on the Role of the Nurse. Chapters 14-16 refer to parenteral nutrition in specific disease states and in the home and chapters 17-21 describe the pharmacological aspects of the preparation of solutions and the problems associated with the maintenance of sterility and additive compatibility. The text then concludes with short sections on Protein Sparing Techniques, Nutritional Assessment, Paediatrics and Enteral Comparisons. While undoubtedly there are points of criticism in the recommended techniques—for example catheters should never be introduced through needles—and disagreement over some aspects of the text, there is still a great deal of valuable practical advice offered to the reader. Of particular merit is the emphasis on the role of the pharmacist in the aseptic preparation of correctly balanced solutions and the concept of the parenteral nutrition team. Unfortunately, as the book was aimed at Australian readers, many of the products mentioned are irrelevant to British practice; nevertheless, the fundamental principles remain unchanged and for its price it remains good value as a basic primer. Winifred E. I. Finlay
The meeting was concerned with the clinical care of mother and baby rather than with presentation of recent research. The subjects included relief of pain in labour, anaesthesia for operative obstetrics, ante-natal care, neonatal resuscitation and intensive care of mother and neonate. These topics were discussed by anaesthetists and by other specialists—a physiotherapist, midwives, obstetricians, paediatricians and an intensive care physician. The result is an up-to-date review of current clinical practice. Indeed, throughout the book the mulitdisciplinary nature of the subject and the need for close cooperation between disciplines, is stressed. The book was produced relatively quickly, and this may account for a number of irritating spelling mistakes and the occasional obvious misprint—"hypertension should be treated with ephedrine". Some of the forms of therapy advocated are unlikely to gain favour in this country, for example the use of propanidid to relieve pain in the late stages of labour. These criticisms are very minor and the editors are to be congratulated on producing an up-to-date summary of clinical practice which should be in the library of all departments involved with the perinatal period. M. Morgan