Cardiac Anesthesia, vol 2: Cardiovascular Pharmacology

In the five years since its appearance, the first volume ofCardiac Anesthesiahas become a standard text, in many ways the nucleus around which the specialty of cardiac anesthesia has formed. Now, the same editor has brought out a second volume, subtitledCardiovascular Pharmacology. The new book is not an update of the 1979 edition, which was organized according to states of cardiac disease and methods of circulatory support. It is instead a review of the applications of modern drugs to the perioperative care of patients with cardiovascular diseases, organized around classes of drugs. I believe that this new volume will achieve its stated goal, to "further improve anesthesia care for all patients with cardiac disease." There is much about this book that is current and interesting, and a bit that could have been left out without compromising the quality. The book has seven sections and 28 chapters, each