- Email: [email protected]
Sleep Disorders
Book Reviews
Operating Department Practice A – Z, 2nd Edn. T. Williams and B. Smith (editors). Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. Pp. 386; illustrated. Price £35.00. ISBN 987-0-521-71021-3.
M. Berthoud Sheffield, UK E-mail: [email protected] doi:10.1093/bja/aen219
Sleep Disorders. S. Wilson and D. Nutt (editors). Published by Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Pp. 131. Price £5.99. ISBN 987-0-19-923433-2.
‘Sleep disorders are the orphans of medical practice’ are the opening words to the preface of this excellent little volume; a sentiment with which I would wholeheartedly concur. Sleep medicine is not taught in any coherent form in the great majority of medical schools, although sleep disorders are common and feature in up to 40% of primary care consultations. Sleep problems are a major complicating feature of chronic pain. The parallels between natural sleep and anaesthesia are many and have been extensively reviewed. I have long argued that anaesthetists are well placed to detect, diagnose, and treat obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), the most common life-threatening sleep disorder. The recent endorsement of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy as a treatment for OSA by NICE adds further impetus, should any be necessary, to increasing the knowledge of these disorders among anaesthetists. This truly pocket-sized book is an excellent starting place. It is well and clearly written with helpful illustrations and relevant references for further reading. Although part of the Oxford Psychiatry Library and thus aimed primarily at those working in the mental health fields, it covers all aspects of sleep medicine including OSA and those with physical manifestations. It would be of value to a practitioner in any field who wished a short introduction to the subject. The opening chapters cover the features of normal sleep and the various diagnostic tests in current use. The next four chapters cover the main subdivisions of sleep medicine, difficulty in initiating and maintaining sleep or insomnia, disorders of excessive sleepiness or hypersomnia, the things that go bump in the night or parasomnias, and body clock or circadian rhythm disorders. Sleep in psychiatric disorders and in neurological and medical disorders follow while the concluding chapters consider the pharmacology of sleep and coping with irregular working hours. The wise advice in the final chapter is worth the cost of the book alone and will be of great help to the large proportion of doctors and nurses who struggle to maintain a reasonable sleep pattern when working shifts. I warmly recommend this book to all anaesthetists. Buy it, slip it in a pocket, and read a chapter or two in the interminable waits between cases or over lunch. The
437
Downloaded from http://bja.oxfordjournals.org/ by guest on March 27, 2015
This book, in its second edition, is a reference for those unfamiliar with operating department terms and jargon. It is written by two experienced operating department practioners (ODP) and trainers, aimed primarily at student ODPs. It is laid out in three sections. The first is an expanded list of medical abbreviations and the second a list of Greek and Latin prefixes and suffixes with translations. The largest section of the book is an eclectic dictionary of words and phrases relating to theatre practice with, in this edition, some accompanying diagrams. At the end are a series of appendices containing symbols and formulae, normal clinical values and tables such as the Glasgow coma scale or ASA physical status, and lists of related web addresses and professional bodies. Compared with the first edition, these appendices are more numerous and fuller. In places, this dictionary is technical and helpful, and in others imprecise, misleading, and even condescending. These faults arise from both its format and its choice of words. Each entry in the A – Z is supplied with a ‘quick reference’, followed by an ‘advanced reference’. This has lead to unnecessary repetition and sometimes banal definitions. I wondered how many trainee ODPs would not know the meaning of the words ‘blood’ or ‘mouth’; or whether they are much informed by the ‘quick reference’ of blood as ‘red fluid contained within the blood vessels’ or the ‘advanced reference’ of mouth as ‘the opening on the face to the alimentary canal’. Two examples of the many misleading entries include that Tamoxifen is an oral non-steroidal medication or that the full blood count is carried out to ascertain the state of the patient’s blood chemistry. There are also omissions. As an experiment, I explained the book’s format to a bright second year trainee ODP who was assisting me in theatre and asked him to suggest six things he would like me to look up. He offered ionotrope, NSAIDs, mastoidectomy, Bonfils, central venous pressure, and arterial line. Of these, we could find definitions only for NSAID and mastoid, although CVP was translated in the list of abbreviations. The A– Z includes a number of drugs, the generic and trade names of which are used randomly, and often the most common usage is not chosen. Equipment is well represented, and trade names such as Bair Hugger are used appropriately. Some of the drugs and equipment included are of historical interest only. This book is potentially useful, especially in explaining the meaning of jargon, colloquial phrases, and trade names. Many of the medical terms are well explained, but it contains too many simplifications which are patronizing and
sometimes misleading. These should have been eliminated between editions. I am disappointed that I cannot support this book as whole-heartedly as I do its intentions.
Book Reviews
knowledge gained will prove invaluable and should prompt a desire to know more. As an act of charity, pass the book onto medical and surgical colleagues whose need for knowledge of sleep and its disorders is at least as great as that of anaesthetists. C. D. Hanning Leicester, UK E-mail: [email protected] doi:10.1093/bja/aen220
Pain in Older People. P. Crome, C. J. Main and F. Lally (editors). Published by Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Pp. 186; indexed; illustrated. Price £5.99. ISBN 9780-19-921261-3.
I. Power Edinburgh, UK E-mail: [email protected] doi:10.1093/bja/aen221
438
Downloaded from http://bja.oxfordjournals.org/ by guest on March 27, 2015
This small pocket-sized book of ,190 pages provides an excellent resource on the topic of ‘Pain in Older People’, another impressive title in the Oxford Pain Management Library. The book is extremely well structured. Each chapter is self-contained and has a clear flow through it, with key points appearing in a box at the start. The text is carefully and well edited and tables appear in the appropriate place for the reader to access as they go along. The conclusion sections are succinct and all the references are given at the end. In essence, this is an excellent book that this reader can recommend to anyone interested in pain in older people. The first chapter ‘The epidemiology of pain’ ends with the comment that ‘there is a paucity of research on pain focused specifically on this section of the population’. I believe that this small pocket book will certainly be of
great practical use to individuals seeking to treat pain and will no doubt raise questions in their own mind about pain in older people and perhaps enhance that research. The key to the success of this book, I believe, is that each chapter gives a good overview of the subject, and then focuses very quickly on the relevance of that subject to the elderly population. Certainly, I have found the chapter ‘pain in patients with cognitive impairment’ of recent use in my own clinical practice. The book deals very well with the ailments that might be expected to affect the older population including osteoporosis, musculoskeletal pain, and general abdominal pain. However, the chapters on ‘Pain and addiction’ and ‘Cognitive behavioural therapy’ and ‘Depression and pain’ deliver great insight into the problems faced in the elderly. The chapter on cognitive behavioural therapy is an excellent example of how the book gives a good overview of the technique and then immediately focuses on older people, and their requirements from this sort of treatment. The book is presented very well. At such a reasonable price, it should not be expected to be in colour, but the figures are presented very clearly and the book does not suffer from this. At the end of the book, there is a very useful appendix containing web addresses, allowing the reader to pursue their own area of interest. In summary, this is an excellent pocket book, produced at a very reasonable price that should make it available to anyone interested in treating pain in older people.
Operating Department Practice A – Z, 2nd Edn. T. Williams and B. Smith (editors). Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. Pp. 386; illustrated. Price £35.00. ISBN 987-0-521-71021-3.
M. Berthoud Sheffield, UK E-mail: [email protected] doi:10.1093/bja/aen219
Sleep Disorders. S. Wilson and D. Nutt (editors). Published by Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Pp. 131. Price £5.99. ISBN 987-0-19-923433-2.
‘Sleep disorders are the orphans of medical practice’ are the opening words to the preface of this excellent little volume; a sentiment with which I would wholeheartedly concur. Sleep medicine is not taught in any coherent form in the great majority of medical schools, although sleep disorders are common and feature in up to 40% of primary care consultations. Sleep problems are a major complicating feature of chronic pain. The parallels between natural sleep and anaesthesia are many and have been extensively reviewed. I have long argued that anaesthetists are well placed to detect, diagnose, and treat obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), the most common life-threatening sleep disorder. The recent endorsement of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy as a treatment for OSA by NICE adds further impetus, should any be necessary, to increasing the knowledge of these disorders among anaesthetists. This truly pocket-sized book is an excellent starting place. It is well and clearly written with helpful illustrations and relevant references for further reading. Although part of the Oxford Psychiatry Library and thus aimed primarily at those working in the mental health fields, it covers all aspects of sleep medicine including OSA and those with physical manifestations. It would be of value to a practitioner in any field who wished a short introduction to the subject. The opening chapters cover the features of normal sleep and the various diagnostic tests in current use. The next four chapters cover the main subdivisions of sleep medicine, difficulty in initiating and maintaining sleep or insomnia, disorders of excessive sleepiness or hypersomnia, the things that go bump in the night or parasomnias, and body clock or circadian rhythm disorders. Sleep in psychiatric disorders and in neurological and medical disorders follow while the concluding chapters consider the pharmacology of sleep and coping with irregular working hours. The wise advice in the final chapter is worth the cost of the book alone and will be of great help to the large proportion of doctors and nurses who struggle to maintain a reasonable sleep pattern when working shifts. I warmly recommend this book to all anaesthetists. Buy it, slip it in a pocket, and read a chapter or two in the interminable waits between cases or over lunch. The
437
Downloaded from http://bja.oxfordjournals.org/ by guest on March 27, 2015
This book, in its second edition, is a reference for those unfamiliar with operating department terms and jargon. It is written by two experienced operating department practioners (ODP) and trainers, aimed primarily at student ODPs. It is laid out in three sections. The first is an expanded list of medical abbreviations and the second a list of Greek and Latin prefixes and suffixes with translations. The largest section of the book is an eclectic dictionary of words and phrases relating to theatre practice with, in this edition, some accompanying diagrams. At the end are a series of appendices containing symbols and formulae, normal clinical values and tables such as the Glasgow coma scale or ASA physical status, and lists of related web addresses and professional bodies. Compared with the first edition, these appendices are more numerous and fuller. In places, this dictionary is technical and helpful, and in others imprecise, misleading, and even condescending. These faults arise from both its format and its choice of words. Each entry in the A – Z is supplied with a ‘quick reference’, followed by an ‘advanced reference’. This has lead to unnecessary repetition and sometimes banal definitions. I wondered how many trainee ODPs would not know the meaning of the words ‘blood’ or ‘mouth’; or whether they are much informed by the ‘quick reference’ of blood as ‘red fluid contained within the blood vessels’ or the ‘advanced reference’ of mouth as ‘the opening on the face to the alimentary canal’. Two examples of the many misleading entries include that Tamoxifen is an oral non-steroidal medication or that the full blood count is carried out to ascertain the state of the patient’s blood chemistry. There are also omissions. As an experiment, I explained the book’s format to a bright second year trainee ODP who was assisting me in theatre and asked him to suggest six things he would like me to look up. He offered ionotrope, NSAIDs, mastoidectomy, Bonfils, central venous pressure, and arterial line. Of these, we could find definitions only for NSAID and mastoid, although CVP was translated in the list of abbreviations. The A– Z includes a number of drugs, the generic and trade names of which are used randomly, and often the most common usage is not chosen. Equipment is well represented, and trade names such as Bair Hugger are used appropriately. Some of the drugs and equipment included are of historical interest only. This book is potentially useful, especially in explaining the meaning of jargon, colloquial phrases, and trade names. Many of the medical terms are well explained, but it contains too many simplifications which are patronizing and
sometimes misleading. These should have been eliminated between editions. I am disappointed that I cannot support this book as whole-heartedly as I do its intentions.
Book Reviews
knowledge gained will prove invaluable and should prompt a desire to know more. As an act of charity, pass the book onto medical and surgical colleagues whose need for knowledge of sleep and its disorders is at least as great as that of anaesthetists. C. D. Hanning Leicester, UK E-mail: [email protected] doi:10.1093/bja/aen220
Pain in Older People. P. Crome, C. J. Main and F. Lally (editors). Published by Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Pp. 186; indexed; illustrated. Price £5.99. ISBN 9780-19-921261-3.
I. Power Edinburgh, UK E-mail: [email protected] doi:10.1093/bja/aen221
438
Downloaded from http://bja.oxfordjournals.org/ by guest on March 27, 2015
This small pocket-sized book of ,190 pages provides an excellent resource on the topic of ‘Pain in Older People’, another impressive title in the Oxford Pain Management Library. The book is extremely well structured. Each chapter is self-contained and has a clear flow through it, with key points appearing in a box at the start. The text is carefully and well edited and tables appear in the appropriate place for the reader to access as they go along. The conclusion sections are succinct and all the references are given at the end. In essence, this is an excellent book that this reader can recommend to anyone interested in pain in older people. The first chapter ‘The epidemiology of pain’ ends with the comment that ‘there is a paucity of research on pain focused specifically on this section of the population’. I believe that this small pocket book will certainly be of
great practical use to individuals seeking to treat pain and will no doubt raise questions in their own mind about pain in older people and perhaps enhance that research. The key to the success of this book, I believe, is that each chapter gives a good overview of the subject, and then focuses very quickly on the relevance of that subject to the elderly population. Certainly, I have found the chapter ‘pain in patients with cognitive impairment’ of recent use in my own clinical practice. The book deals very well with the ailments that might be expected to affect the older population including osteoporosis, musculoskeletal pain, and general abdominal pain. However, the chapters on ‘Pain and addiction’ and ‘Cognitive behavioural therapy’ and ‘Depression and pain’ deliver great insight into the problems faced in the elderly. The chapter on cognitive behavioural therapy is an excellent example of how the book gives a good overview of the technique and then immediately focuses on older people, and their requirements from this sort of treatment. The book is presented very well. At such a reasonable price, it should not be expected to be in colour, but the figures are presented very clearly and the book does not suffer from this. At the end of the book, there is a very useful appendix containing web addresses, allowing the reader to pursue their own area of interest. In summary, this is an excellent pocket book, produced at a very reasonable price that should make it available to anyone interested in treating pain in older people.