Ohs Intensive Care Manual, 5th Edition, A.D. Bersten & N. Soni, Butterworth Heinmann, 2003 Andrew D. Bersten and Neil Soni, eds. Boston: ButterworthHeinemann (an imprint of Elsevier Science Limited), 2003. ISBN 0-7506-5184-0. 1176 pp, $79.95. The textbook market for physicians training in critical care consists principally of two categories, small pocket manuals and large encyclopedic textbooks. For some time, a medium-sized but comprehensive tome to recommend to residents and fellows has been needed. The new edition of Teik Ohs Intensive Care Manual, which has long been the favorite text of critical care trainees outside the United States, meets this need. The new edition, edited by Andrew Bersten and Neil Soni, is written by a veritable whos who of British and Australian intensivists. The book is divided into 100 or so medium-sized, easily digested chapters that are organized into 17 sections, covering the whole spectrum of critical care, from the design and organization of intensive care units through infections and supportive care to environmental injuries. New chapters have been added addressing topical issues such as ethics, post-ICU problems and biologic terrorism. Unlike many competing texts, Ohs Intensive Care Manual addresses cardiac care, pediatric critical care, and obstetric emergencies. The chapter on hemodynamic monitoring is especially outstanding. One of the books great strengths is the coverage of broader issues in critical care, such as poisoning, hematology, trauma, hypothermia, and electrocution. The chapters on donor preparation and transplantation are particularly useful, being poorly covered elsewhere. The chapter on envenomation (snake bites) is especially enjoyable. The Intensive Care Manual, running at 1100 pages, is undoubtedly the most comprehensive, concise textbook of critical care medicine available. However, the structure of the book also leads to some drawbacks. The practice of intensive care medicine is dominated by shock, fluid balance, sepsis, and respiratory failure. Yet the space allocated to these problems is the same as that given to HIV and plasma exchange. We were particularly disappointed with the chapters on respiratory failure, which, like the majority of publications, describes modes of ventilation rather than ventilation strategies. Surprisingly, there is no chapter on ventilator liberation, or failed weaning, a major problem in critical care. Likewise, the neuroendocrine response to critical illness receives little mention. The lack of reference to the physiochemical (Stewart) approach to acid base balance, a highly topical subject in the critical care literature, was surprising, as was the failure to address the importance of the topical issue of ventricular interdependence and right ventricular dysfunction. These limitations, nevertheless, should not deter the reader. The book is a remarkably easy read, with chapters organized into subsections using bulleted lists and thoughtful diagrams and tables. With its soft cover the manual is highly portable, and the majority of chapters can be read in a single session. This makes the book an ideal companion for a night on call. In conclusion, Ohs Intensive Care Manual is an excellent text for those who need a comprehensive review of all aspects of critical care. As a review book for the Critical Care Boards, with its size and readability, this book is peerless. While more focus on the clinical approach to critically ill patients is recommended for future editions, these reviewers will happily recommend this edition to their residents and fellows. 2004 by the International Anesthesia Research Society
Patrick Neligan, MB, BcH, FCARCSI
Assistant Professor
Clifford Deutschman, MS, MD, FCCM
Professor Department of Anesthesia University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA
Anesthesia for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
(Vol.41, No. 3, International Anesthesiology Clinics) A. Herlich, ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2003. ISBN 0020-5907. 157 pp, $260.00 annual subscription for 4 issues. This is a very interesting book; however, it does not discuss the usual concerns in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Rather than extensive discussions of the difficult airway, even in the chapter on Anesthetic Techniques for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, the book seems to be concerned with proving that office-based anesthesia without anesthesiologists is safe, and that the surgeonanesthetist is a role model worth adapting in other surgical specialties. The chapter entitled Anesthesiologists and the Education of Dentists (and others) in Anesthesia is an interesting look, both historical and current, at the training of dentists in anesthesia. The best part of this issue of International Anesthesiology Clinics is the historical introduction of the topic under consideration. The initial chapter, The Art and Science of Office-Based Anesthesia in Dentistry: A 150-Year History sets the tone for the rest of the book. The historical facts are accurate and interesting, and the essay well written. Yet, the interpretation of the historical material bias the reader toward believing that dentistry has played a larger role in the history of anesthesiology than may be the actual case. The chapter on the laryngeal mask airway is equally interesting. For a device first designed in 1981 and commercially available in the US in 1991, it has diverged into five different devices, all with their own niche in airway management. The author does a wonderful job in describing the differences between LMAs and their specific roles in anesthesia. This chapter is in some ways the definitive discourse on the device. The most interesting chapter in the book is the last one, entitled Oral and Craniofacial Pain: Diagnosis, Pathophysiology and Treatment. The authors trace the common painful conditions of the head, their origins and treatments. It makes for interesting reading for those interested in pain medicine. It was also helpful for understanding some of the operating room procedures used to eliminate these conditions. The other fascinating chapter for anesthesia educators was Education in Dental Anesthesia. Clearly and concisely written, the author identifies the anesthesia requirements of dental and oral maxillofacial programs. There are several good explanations about how these anesthesia criteria were established, and several of the organizations that issue credentials in dental anesthesia are identified. This is mandatory reading for those hospital anesthesia chairs responsible by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) for anesthesia and sedation outside the operating room. It will help weed out the various credentialing agencies. Overall, this is an interesting tome on oral and maxillofacial anesthesia from the dental perspective. Outside of its somewhat subtle political overtones, this issue contains interesting information that has not been readily available to the average anesthesiologist. Douglas R. Bacon, MD, MA Professor of Anesthesiology and Medical History Mayo Clinic College of Medicine Rochester, MN Anesth Analg 2004;98:879