Clinical Procedures in Emergency Medicine

The editors' premise is that "emergency medicine is a procedure-oriented specialty," and this second edition of Roberts and Hedges'Clinical Procedures in Emergency Medicinecould be the specialty's procedural standard of reference. The authors do not offer a cookbook approach, but, rather, editors James Roberts, of the University of Cincinnati, and Jerris Hedges, of the Oregon Health Sciences University, have blended step-by-step instruction with general background, pertinent pathophysiology, clinical rationale, complications, and painstakingly chosen references. This scholarly work makes the volume the complete physician's how-to manual for emergency department procedures and an academic procedural textbook. Physically, it is a sturdy 1166 pages. Photographs, radiographs, and diagrams are well chosen, cleanly reproduced, and, generally, on the same page as the referent text. The tables are not overused but are simple in design and concise, containing important information not readily conveyed in narrative form. The text, however, is what separates and elevates