- Email: [email protected]
Smith & Aitkenhead′s Textbook of Anaesthesia
British Journal of Anaesthesia 114 (2): 353–6 (2015)
BOOK REVIEWS Practical Management of Pain. 5th Edn. H Bezon, JP Rathmell, CL Wu, DC Turk, CE Aargoff and RW Hurley (editors). Published by Elsevier. Pp. 1104. Price $245. ISBN 978-0-323-08340-9.
K. H. Simpson Leeds, UK E-mail: [email protected] doi:10.1093/bja/aeu463
Smith & Aitkenhead’s Textbook of Anaesthesia, 6th Edn. A Aitkenhead, I Moppett and J Thompson (editors). Published by Churchill Livingstone. Pp. 968. Price $125.00. ISBN 978-07020-4192-1. Textbook of Anaesthesia is a feature of most departmental libraries in the UK, and it has become a core text for anaesthesia trainees. This sixth edition sees the adoption of a modified title, with the addition of ‘Smith and Aitkenhead’s’ to mark the notable contributions of the founding editors. The first edition was published nearly 30 years ago, and the book has since grown in strength. It has adapted to the dynamic changes in the training of anaesthesia in order to meet its stated ethos of providing a concise, easy-to-read text for those preparing for the Primary examinations of the Fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthetists (FRCA). It is also aimed at trainees in anaesthesia in many other countries, allied health-care professionals involved in the perioperative period, and those revising their core knowledge for the final FRCA. In this edition, not only has the title and content changed, but there are two new editors, with Drs I. K. Moppett and J. P. Thompson replacing Professors Rowbotham and Smith. Furthermore, 25 new authors (including current examiners of the FRCA) have joined the group to help ensure that the material is contemporary and relevant, with numerous chapters undergoing a complete rewrite or reorganization from the fifth edition. There are a total of 47 chapters and appendices; the latter include a succinct chapter on training and assessment in anaesthesia. Novice trainees will find this an incredibly useful reference from which to start the book and their training. The initial 16
& The Author 2015 . Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Journal of Anaesthesia. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: [email protected]
Downloaded from http://bja.oxfordjournals.org/ at West Virginia University, Health Science Libraryy on June 24, 2015
This is a new edition of a well-respected textbook on the management of pain, and it is an excellent resource. The quality of its production is good, and there is online access included with a personal activation code that comes in the front cover of the book. The references to the chapters and other resources are on the website: www.expertconsult.com The editors are international experts in a variety of specialities, including most importantly, basic science, anaesthesia, neurology, physical medicine, rehabilitation, and psychiatry. The chapter contributors are amongst the world’s leading pain specialists and the authorship, although largely American, includes notable contributions from European experts. The format from the previous edition is maintained, with the book divided into nine sections, including general considerations, basic considerations, evaluation/assessment, clinical conditions, treatments, pain management in special situations/special topics and research, ethics, and reimbursement. It is hard to highlight individual chapters, because so many are worthy of detailed reading. I particularly enjoyed the first chapter on the history of pain medicine that takes the reader from early religious conceptualization of pain through ancient cultures, modern pain theories, and pain in the present and future. It was interesting to read the taxonomy chapter by Harold Merskey; he gives his perspective on a topic about which he is internationally recognized as a pioneer. Some of the issues with regard to organization of a pain service are relevant, even though they emanate largely from the American subcontinent. The basic science section was up to date and contained excellent references to contemporary key papers. I was particularly impressed by the illustrations, which were clear and easy to interpret. The section on evaluation and assessment was well laid out and included physical examination, neurophysiology, radiology, and psychological and disability assessment; this is essential reading for all health-care professionals involved in the assessment of patients with pain. The book recognizes the need for pain specialists to be involved in diagnosis in addition to pain management. The section on clinical conditions was well written. I particularly appreciated the chapters on neuropathic and visceral pain. Parts 5, 6, and 7 included pharmacological, psychological, physical, nerve blocking, and interventional techniques. It is difficult to pick out the best chapters in these sections too, because they were all clinically relevant and well executed. The two chapters on pain/addictive disorders and issues with opioid use were thought provoking and topical. The section on nerve blocking techniques was very well written, and the illustrations added greatly to the overall high-quality feel of the book. The chapter on interventional techniques included detailed descriptions of radiofrequency
and neuromodulation. I was particularly pleased to see a chapter on radiation safety in pain medicine, which I find is often neglected. Part 8 was on pain management in special situations, such as sickle cell disease, burns, pain in the emergency department, and critically ill patients; I especially liked the chapters on management of cancer patients, including end-of-life care. The book ends with chapters on research and ethics; this was a good way to finish. The sections about clinical trial design and methodology were well written. In summary, I would recommend this textbook for all clinicians involved in acute, chronic, and cancer pain medicine. It is a book that I enjoyed reading read from cover to cover, but it would be equally good being dipped into selectively as an aid memoir or when preparing a presentation.
BJA
354
ly detailed knowledge to cover the competencies required for the Primary FRCA. Moreover, it also provides more practical information for the junior anaesthetist preparing to work on the labour ward; this includes a failed intubation drill. The final chapters in the book are dedicated to the intensive care unit, resuscitation, and chronic pain. The chapter on intensive care is a brief introduction (30 pages) to this speciality; trainees would need to resort to other texts to gain the knowledge required to cover the basic competencies in intensive care medicine. Notably, individuals studying for the Primary FRCA will find the clear appendix on clinical data a pertinent last minute aide-memoire of core data for the examination. Several new chapters have been included, such as consent, management of the difficult airway, which includes ‘Difficult Airway Society’ intubation and extubation guidelines, management of the high-risk patient, resuscitation, anaesthesia for patients with transplants, and ‘quality improvement and safety’ in anaesthesia. This last subject, despite seeming such an obvious aim of anaesthesia, is topical, and it is appropriate that this has been addressed, even if only to introduce the reader to the terminology used in this area. In summary, although this book does provide a concise, well-structured core text for those preparing for the Primary FRCA, as with other core texts it needs further supplementation with more detailed, subject-specific books in order to cover the curriculum comprehensively. Nevertheless, it is a book we would recommend highly to the new anaesthetist embarking on tackling the Primary examinations and to more experienced anaesthetists who desire a refresher of the basics. The Textbook of Anaesthesia has stood the test of time, and this latest edition is sure to be popular among current trainees in anaesthesia. V. Kaura P. M. Hopkins* University of Leeds *E-mail: [email protected] doi:10.1093/bja/aeu464
Oh’s Intensive Care Manual, 7th Edn., A.D. Bersten and N. Soni (editors). Published by Butterworth-Heinemann. Pp. 1242. Price £66.99. ISBN 978-0-7020-4762-6. Ebook ISBN 978-14557-5013-9. The seventh edition of Oh’s Intensive Care Manual replaces the 2009 version and provides additional content. For the first time it is also published in an excellent electronic version, access to which is included in the purchase of the hard copy as well as being available separately. As with previous editions, the majority of the contributions come from Australasia and the UK. Despite this bias (there is, in particular, no North American input), the book is designed to have global appeal and the contributors are undoubtedly experts in their respective fields. Ten new chapters have been added to this edition. Some, such as ‘ICU and the Elderly’, ‘Solid Tumours and Their
Downloaded from http://bja.oxfordjournals.org/ at West Virginia University, Health Science Libraryy on June 24, 2015
chapters cover basic pharmacology, physiology, physics, and clinical measurement. There is a greater emphasis on pharmacology over the other basic sciences, some of which are integrated into the subsequent clinically orientated chapters. Nevertheless, readers may wish to supplement the basic sciences with books dedicated to these subjects; references for further reading are provided. This is not a disadvantage to the book, because most of the major UK core anaesthetic textbooks, in their plight to keep the text concise, result in the requirement of a degree of supplementation from other more specific texts to cover the curriculum to the depth necessary. However, it is a great starting point from which to pin more in-depth and complex knowledge. The text is written in an unambiguous, clear, and logical manner, which is supplemented by the use of key tables and figures, many of which readers will find are fundamental for the Primary FRCA Structured Oral Examination. The figures make use of grayscale; however, given the advancement in other modern textbooks, a future improvement would be to use colour coding to augment both the text and the figures in the book; this would aid in consolidating the transfer of knowledge. The major focus of the book is on the practical conduct of anaesthesia, with two-thirds of the pages dedicated to this whilst ensuring the integration of the basic sciences where essential. These chapters are clearly titled with headings that closely relate to the module titles of the UK FRCA syllabus; nevertheless, a greater direct referencing to the competencies in the FRCA curriculum would have been a bonus. True to the aims of the book, the clinical chapters are sufficiently detailed to cover the core knowledge required for the Primary FRCA; this is a major advantage over other such textbooks, which do not clearly cover these topics in sufficient depth or with a distinct structure. These more clinically orientated chapters follow a clear route from the preoperative assessment to the operating theatre environment, anaesthesia for the different specialities, followed by the postoperative recovery and associated complications during this period. An example of the inherent logical progression is from chapter 17, on general preoperative assessment, to chapter 18, which addresses how to assess and manage the common pathologies one may encounter at the preoperative visit. The latter takes a systems approach whilst discussing the common and the more major pathologies and how anaesthesia can be tailored best to manage these conditions. There is a degree of inherent duplication; for example, the pre-assessment chapter discusses some of the risk prediction scoring systems and echocardiography, which is then repeated in the chapter on managing the high-risk patient (chapter 23). This can be difficult to avoid when numerous authors are writing a multi-editor textbook, but the advantage is that duplication does help to emphasize important learning points and allows readers to read relevant chapters without having to cross-reference various parts of the book for the information they are seeking. Readers studying for the final FRCA would also find chapters on anaesthesia for cardiac and neurosurgery helpful as a foundation upon which to pin greater knowledge from other texts. The obstetric chapter (chapter 35) takes a good holistic view on this sub-speciality, with sufficient-
Book reviews
BOOK REVIEWS Practical Management of Pain. 5th Edn. H Bezon, JP Rathmell, CL Wu, DC Turk, CE Aargoff and RW Hurley (editors). Published by Elsevier. Pp. 1104. Price $245. ISBN 978-0-323-08340-9.
K. H. Simpson Leeds, UK E-mail: [email protected] doi:10.1093/bja/aeu463
Smith & Aitkenhead’s Textbook of Anaesthesia, 6th Edn. A Aitkenhead, I Moppett and J Thompson (editors). Published by Churchill Livingstone. Pp. 968. Price $125.00. ISBN 978-07020-4192-1. Textbook of Anaesthesia is a feature of most departmental libraries in the UK, and it has become a core text for anaesthesia trainees. This sixth edition sees the adoption of a modified title, with the addition of ‘Smith and Aitkenhead’s’ to mark the notable contributions of the founding editors. The first edition was published nearly 30 years ago, and the book has since grown in strength. It has adapted to the dynamic changes in the training of anaesthesia in order to meet its stated ethos of providing a concise, easy-to-read text for those preparing for the Primary examinations of the Fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthetists (FRCA). It is also aimed at trainees in anaesthesia in many other countries, allied health-care professionals involved in the perioperative period, and those revising their core knowledge for the final FRCA. In this edition, not only has the title and content changed, but there are two new editors, with Drs I. K. Moppett and J. P. Thompson replacing Professors Rowbotham and Smith. Furthermore, 25 new authors (including current examiners of the FRCA) have joined the group to help ensure that the material is contemporary and relevant, with numerous chapters undergoing a complete rewrite or reorganization from the fifth edition. There are a total of 47 chapters and appendices; the latter include a succinct chapter on training and assessment in anaesthesia. Novice trainees will find this an incredibly useful reference from which to start the book and their training. The initial 16
& The Author 2015 . Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Journal of Anaesthesia. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: [email protected]
Downloaded from http://bja.oxfordjournals.org/ at West Virginia University, Health Science Libraryy on June 24, 2015
This is a new edition of a well-respected textbook on the management of pain, and it is an excellent resource. The quality of its production is good, and there is online access included with a personal activation code that comes in the front cover of the book. The references to the chapters and other resources are on the website: www.expertconsult.com The editors are international experts in a variety of specialities, including most importantly, basic science, anaesthesia, neurology, physical medicine, rehabilitation, and psychiatry. The chapter contributors are amongst the world’s leading pain specialists and the authorship, although largely American, includes notable contributions from European experts. The format from the previous edition is maintained, with the book divided into nine sections, including general considerations, basic considerations, evaluation/assessment, clinical conditions, treatments, pain management in special situations/special topics and research, ethics, and reimbursement. It is hard to highlight individual chapters, because so many are worthy of detailed reading. I particularly enjoyed the first chapter on the history of pain medicine that takes the reader from early religious conceptualization of pain through ancient cultures, modern pain theories, and pain in the present and future. It was interesting to read the taxonomy chapter by Harold Merskey; he gives his perspective on a topic about which he is internationally recognized as a pioneer. Some of the issues with regard to organization of a pain service are relevant, even though they emanate largely from the American subcontinent. The basic science section was up to date and contained excellent references to contemporary key papers. I was particularly impressed by the illustrations, which were clear and easy to interpret. The section on evaluation and assessment was well laid out and included physical examination, neurophysiology, radiology, and psychological and disability assessment; this is essential reading for all health-care professionals involved in the assessment of patients with pain. The book recognizes the need for pain specialists to be involved in diagnosis in addition to pain management. The section on clinical conditions was well written. I particularly appreciated the chapters on neuropathic and visceral pain. Parts 5, 6, and 7 included pharmacological, psychological, physical, nerve blocking, and interventional techniques. It is difficult to pick out the best chapters in these sections too, because they were all clinically relevant and well executed. The two chapters on pain/addictive disorders and issues with opioid use were thought provoking and topical. The section on nerve blocking techniques was very well written, and the illustrations added greatly to the overall high-quality feel of the book. The chapter on interventional techniques included detailed descriptions of radiofrequency
and neuromodulation. I was particularly pleased to see a chapter on radiation safety in pain medicine, which I find is often neglected. Part 8 was on pain management in special situations, such as sickle cell disease, burns, pain in the emergency department, and critically ill patients; I especially liked the chapters on management of cancer patients, including end-of-life care. The book ends with chapters on research and ethics; this was a good way to finish. The sections about clinical trial design and methodology were well written. In summary, I would recommend this textbook for all clinicians involved in acute, chronic, and cancer pain medicine. It is a book that I enjoyed reading read from cover to cover, but it would be equally good being dipped into selectively as an aid memoir or when preparing a presentation.
BJA
354
ly detailed knowledge to cover the competencies required for the Primary FRCA. Moreover, it also provides more practical information for the junior anaesthetist preparing to work on the labour ward; this includes a failed intubation drill. The final chapters in the book are dedicated to the intensive care unit, resuscitation, and chronic pain. The chapter on intensive care is a brief introduction (30 pages) to this speciality; trainees would need to resort to other texts to gain the knowledge required to cover the basic competencies in intensive care medicine. Notably, individuals studying for the Primary FRCA will find the clear appendix on clinical data a pertinent last minute aide-memoire of core data for the examination. Several new chapters have been included, such as consent, management of the difficult airway, which includes ‘Difficult Airway Society’ intubation and extubation guidelines, management of the high-risk patient, resuscitation, anaesthesia for patients with transplants, and ‘quality improvement and safety’ in anaesthesia. This last subject, despite seeming such an obvious aim of anaesthesia, is topical, and it is appropriate that this has been addressed, even if only to introduce the reader to the terminology used in this area. In summary, although this book does provide a concise, well-structured core text for those preparing for the Primary FRCA, as with other core texts it needs further supplementation with more detailed, subject-specific books in order to cover the curriculum comprehensively. Nevertheless, it is a book we would recommend highly to the new anaesthetist embarking on tackling the Primary examinations and to more experienced anaesthetists who desire a refresher of the basics. The Textbook of Anaesthesia has stood the test of time, and this latest edition is sure to be popular among current trainees in anaesthesia. V. Kaura P. M. Hopkins* University of Leeds *E-mail: [email protected] doi:10.1093/bja/aeu464
Oh’s Intensive Care Manual, 7th Edn., A.D. Bersten and N. Soni (editors). Published by Butterworth-Heinemann. Pp. 1242. Price £66.99. ISBN 978-0-7020-4762-6. Ebook ISBN 978-14557-5013-9. The seventh edition of Oh’s Intensive Care Manual replaces the 2009 version and provides additional content. For the first time it is also published in an excellent electronic version, access to which is included in the purchase of the hard copy as well as being available separately. As with previous editions, the majority of the contributions come from Australasia and the UK. Despite this bias (there is, in particular, no North American input), the book is designed to have global appeal and the contributors are undoubtedly experts in their respective fields. Ten new chapters have been added to this edition. Some, such as ‘ICU and the Elderly’, ‘Solid Tumours and Their
Downloaded from http://bja.oxfordjournals.org/ at West Virginia University, Health Science Libraryy on June 24, 2015
chapters cover basic pharmacology, physiology, physics, and clinical measurement. There is a greater emphasis on pharmacology over the other basic sciences, some of which are integrated into the subsequent clinically orientated chapters. Nevertheless, readers may wish to supplement the basic sciences with books dedicated to these subjects; references for further reading are provided. This is not a disadvantage to the book, because most of the major UK core anaesthetic textbooks, in their plight to keep the text concise, result in the requirement of a degree of supplementation from other more specific texts to cover the curriculum to the depth necessary. However, it is a great starting point from which to pin more in-depth and complex knowledge. The text is written in an unambiguous, clear, and logical manner, which is supplemented by the use of key tables and figures, many of which readers will find are fundamental for the Primary FRCA Structured Oral Examination. The figures make use of grayscale; however, given the advancement in other modern textbooks, a future improvement would be to use colour coding to augment both the text and the figures in the book; this would aid in consolidating the transfer of knowledge. The major focus of the book is on the practical conduct of anaesthesia, with two-thirds of the pages dedicated to this whilst ensuring the integration of the basic sciences where essential. These chapters are clearly titled with headings that closely relate to the module titles of the UK FRCA syllabus; nevertheless, a greater direct referencing to the competencies in the FRCA curriculum would have been a bonus. True to the aims of the book, the clinical chapters are sufficiently detailed to cover the core knowledge required for the Primary FRCA; this is a major advantage over other such textbooks, which do not clearly cover these topics in sufficient depth or with a distinct structure. These more clinically orientated chapters follow a clear route from the preoperative assessment to the operating theatre environment, anaesthesia for the different specialities, followed by the postoperative recovery and associated complications during this period. An example of the inherent logical progression is from chapter 17, on general preoperative assessment, to chapter 18, which addresses how to assess and manage the common pathologies one may encounter at the preoperative visit. The latter takes a systems approach whilst discussing the common and the more major pathologies and how anaesthesia can be tailored best to manage these conditions. There is a degree of inherent duplication; for example, the pre-assessment chapter discusses some of the risk prediction scoring systems and echocardiography, which is then repeated in the chapter on managing the high-risk patient (chapter 23). This can be difficult to avoid when numerous authors are writing a multi-editor textbook, but the advantage is that duplication does help to emphasize important learning points and allows readers to read relevant chapters without having to cross-reference various parts of the book for the information they are seeking. Readers studying for the final FRCA would also find chapters on anaesthesia for cardiac and neurosurgery helpful as a foundation upon which to pin greater knowledge from other texts. The obstetric chapter (chapter 35) takes a good holistic view on this sub-speciality, with sufficient-
Book reviews