Clinical Anesthesia Fundamentals

PG Barash, BF Cullen, RK Stoelting, M Cahalan, MC Stock, R Ortega, SR Sharar Wolters Kluwer, 2015; pp 912; £71 (∼€99) ISBN-13: 978-1-4511-9437-1 This book is a first edition and is aimed at those beginning their careers in anaesthesia. It follows in the footsteps of several other similar titles and aims to cover the core topics of anaesthesia along with current clinical practice. There is also free access to the online supplementation material that accompanies this title. It includes video tutorials and a free download of the associated e-book version. This allows easy search and navigation of the whole text. For those studying for their anaesthetic primary exams, this textbook summarises many of the subject areas that will be examined. For those undertaking the Part 1 EDIAC detail may be lacking in some areas and further reference material should be sought. The initial chapters cover anatomy, physiology and pharmacology. There is also a short chapter on physics and measurement. The prose is relatively easy to read and punctuated into bite sized facts. The occasional diagrams are relevant and clear in their descriptions. There is some confusion with the use of imperial measurements within this book. For European based exams, metric values are standard and therefore some conversion is required whilst revising. However, all other information is pertinent to anaesthesia is any country The middle third of this book summarises anaesthesia clinical practice, covering such areas as co-existing diseases and major anaesthetic sub-specialties. These provide an introduction for the novice anaesthetist and will serve well as a basis for future learning. There are several novel chapters which cover areas such as patient positioning and its pitfalls. This gives a succinct guide for common procedures and injuries that may result from mal-positioning of the patient. Some may also find the chapter on physician wellbeing a welcome overview of life in clinical practice. In summary, this textbook covers a variety of core topics for junior anaesthetists although with current clinical practice and some non-clinical areas. Although detail is lacking in some key areas, it will provide an overview for those starting to revise for primary examinations.