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Textbook of pediatric emergency medicine (3rd ed)
274
The Journal of Emergency Medlclne
Cl TEXTBOOK OF PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE (3rd ed). Edited by GR Fleisher, S Ludwig, 1804 pp. Baltimore, Williams &Wilkins, 1993, $160.00.
The third edition of the Textbook of Pediatric Emergency Medicine is an outstanding resource and a requirement for an emergency department’s library. Written to support a broad range of practitioners, this text serves as an excellent reference for anyone who will treat children in the emergent care setting. The textbook is the work of 117 contributors made up of pediatric emergency medicine specialists and pediatric subspecialists. The textbook is extremely pleasing in that, unlike many large reference texts, the subspecialty areas manage to maintain their relevance to the practice of emergency medicine. The textbook is divided into seven sections: Life ThreateningEmergencies Signsand Symptoms Medical Emergencies Trauma SurgicalEmergencies Psycho-SocialEmergencies Procedures This organizational strategy provides a logical division of information that is easily referenced. It is precisely the ease of reference and division of information that makes this text so useful in the emergency department. Section 1 on “Life Threatening Emergencies” covers items central to emergency care such as resuscitation and airway management. Although it covers a broad range of issues from analgesia to transport, it is focused on the NOW decisions often made in the emergency department. The invaluable information in the “Signs and Symptoms” section is uniquely helpful in diagnostic dilemmas. It covers the diagnostic approach to 78 different clinical signs or symptoms. Once the diagnosis is made or suspected, management information follows in the subsequent sections. The section on medical emergencies is primarily system oriented. It also contains useful sections on toxicological and environmental emergencies. The section on trauma begins with an excellent overview of the injured child and is then divided into subspecialty areas of trauma from burns to ocular injuries. The section on surgical emergencies is also primarily divided into surgical subspecialty areas. The section on psycho-social emergenciesis a must
for the practicing emergency physician. The section addresses many difficult scenarios that may present to the emergency department. Finally, the procedures section nicely rounds out this text. The text in this section is somewhat brief but is enhanced by a large number of illustrative diagrams. Noteworthy points include the index, which is 60 pageslong and quite complete. The textbook also has excellent internal referencing. The figures and tables are very useful, and the radiographic images reproduced extremely well. The section on dermatology, however, would benefit from color pictures. The textbook has been criticized for being overly conservative. This is clearly a matter of opinion, and one can argue that a reference text on pediatric emergency medicine should have a conservative nature. The most significant criticism of the text is not with its content but with its binding. The text used for this review demonstrated wear out of proportion to the age of the text. Overall this is an outstanding reference that will serve its reader well. Arthur M. Pancioli, MD University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Cincinnati, Ohio
0 PEDIATRIC FRACTURES-A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT. Edited by GD MacEwen, JR Kasser, SD Heinrich, 442 pp. Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins, 1993, $120.00. Broken bones and other orthopedic conditions in children are almost a prerequisite for reaching adulthood. This well-written and concise text, while intended primarily for the practicing orthopedic physician, will serve as an excellent resource for the emergency physician. The senior editor, Dr. G. Dean MacEwen, is a nationally recognized authority in the field of pediatric orthopedic surgery. Together with Dr. Stephen Heinrich, also from Louisiana State University Medical School, and Dr. Kasser from Harvard Medical School, they have created a text that lives up to their stated expectations -“a practical approach to the assessmentand treatment” of orthopedic injuries in the pediatric population. The contents are organized into five major sections: initial evaluation and treatment, the upper extremity, the
The Journal of Emergency Medlclne
Cl TEXTBOOK OF PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE (3rd ed). Edited by GR Fleisher, S Ludwig, 1804 pp. Baltimore, Williams &Wilkins, 1993, $160.00.
The third edition of the Textbook of Pediatric Emergency Medicine is an outstanding resource and a requirement for an emergency department’s library. Written to support a broad range of practitioners, this text serves as an excellent reference for anyone who will treat children in the emergent care setting. The textbook is the work of 117 contributors made up of pediatric emergency medicine specialists and pediatric subspecialists. The textbook is extremely pleasing in that, unlike many large reference texts, the subspecialty areas manage to maintain their relevance to the practice of emergency medicine. The textbook is divided into seven sections: Life ThreateningEmergencies Signsand Symptoms Medical Emergencies Trauma SurgicalEmergencies Psycho-SocialEmergencies Procedures This organizational strategy provides a logical division of information that is easily referenced. It is precisely the ease of reference and division of information that makes this text so useful in the emergency department. Section 1 on “Life Threatening Emergencies” covers items central to emergency care such as resuscitation and airway management. Although it covers a broad range of issues from analgesia to transport, it is focused on the NOW decisions often made in the emergency department. The invaluable information in the “Signs and Symptoms” section is uniquely helpful in diagnostic dilemmas. It covers the diagnostic approach to 78 different clinical signs or symptoms. Once the diagnosis is made or suspected, management information follows in the subsequent sections. The section on medical emergencies is primarily system oriented. It also contains useful sections on toxicological and environmental emergencies. The section on trauma begins with an excellent overview of the injured child and is then divided into subspecialty areas of trauma from burns to ocular injuries. The section on surgical emergencies is also primarily divided into surgical subspecialty areas. The section on psycho-social emergenciesis a must
for the practicing emergency physician. The section addresses many difficult scenarios that may present to the emergency department. Finally, the procedures section nicely rounds out this text. The text in this section is somewhat brief but is enhanced by a large number of illustrative diagrams. Noteworthy points include the index, which is 60 pageslong and quite complete. The textbook also has excellent internal referencing. The figures and tables are very useful, and the radiographic images reproduced extremely well. The section on dermatology, however, would benefit from color pictures. The textbook has been criticized for being overly conservative. This is clearly a matter of opinion, and one can argue that a reference text on pediatric emergency medicine should have a conservative nature. The most significant criticism of the text is not with its content but with its binding. The text used for this review demonstrated wear out of proportion to the age of the text. Overall this is an outstanding reference that will serve its reader well. Arthur M. Pancioli, MD University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Cincinnati, Ohio
0 PEDIATRIC FRACTURES-A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT. Edited by GD MacEwen, JR Kasser, SD Heinrich, 442 pp. Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins, 1993, $120.00. Broken bones and other orthopedic conditions in children are almost a prerequisite for reaching adulthood. This well-written and concise text, while intended primarily for the practicing orthopedic physician, will serve as an excellent resource for the emergency physician. The senior editor, Dr. G. Dean MacEwen, is a nationally recognized authority in the field of pediatric orthopedic surgery. Together with Dr. Stephen Heinrich, also from Louisiana State University Medical School, and Dr. Kasser from Harvard Medical School, they have created a text that lives up to their stated expectations -“a practical approach to the assessmentand treatment” of orthopedic injuries in the pediatric population. The contents are organized into five major sections: initial evaluation and treatment, the upper extremity, the