BOOK REVIEWS

Karen T. Pitman, MD, Section Editor

AN ATLAS OF HEAD & NECK SURGERY, oncologic surgery and will be a staple of any head and
FOURTH EDITION neck surgical library.
By John M. Loré, Jr, and Jesus E. Medina, Elsevier,
Philadelphia, PA, 2005, 1538 pp, $229.00 RICHARD O. WEIN, MD
Jackson, Mississippi
The fourth edition of An Atlas of Head & Neck Surgery
is a single-volume text that provides a comprehensive
overview of virtually every procedure performed in
head and neck surgery. The basic format is similar to THE ESSENTIAL BURN UNIT HANDBOOK
the third edition of the text, published in 1988, with By Jeffrey J. Roth and William B. Hughes, Quality
updates consistent with the changes experienced in Medical Publishing Inc., St. Louis, Missouri, 2004, 150
head and neck surgery during that period. Some of the pp, $29.00
most notable additions include a chapter dedicated to
In the United States, approximately 2.5 million burn
microvascular surgery and a subsection within ‘‘The
injuries are reported each year. Many of these patients
Sinuses and Maxilla’’ chapter dedicated to endoscopic
are hospitalized for extended periods of time, while
sinus surgery.
some die because of the severity of their injuries. The
The atlas is composed of 24 chapters and involved
care of this patient population requires the utilization
the participation of 44 contributing authors. This new
of significant and precious medical resources, both
edition retains many of the illustrations and the style of
financial and intellectual.
previous editions. The detailed anatomy of the opera-
The authors of The Essential Burn Unit Handbook,
tive illustrations and explanations of technique remain
one a board-certified plastic surgeon and the other a
the strength of the text. The criticisms I have are that
codirector of a major U.S. burn unit, seek to provide the
many of the references have not been significantly
medical professional intraining with a concise, user-
updated from previous editions and that some techni-
friendly reference that is committed to the unique path-
ques of historical significance, such as the placement of
ophysiology, assessment, and treatment of burn pa-
Steinmann Pins for segmental defects, remain within
tients. Although this genre of medical reference book is
this new edition.
not a novel idea, this type of reference guide has not
For those who did not rely on a previous edition as a
reached the arena of comprehensive burn care—until
vital resource during their training, it is hard to
now. Nonetheless, this book is not an overly simplistic,
describe the shear detail and number of procedures con-
quick reference whose pages contain mathematical for-
tained within this atlas. Beyond chapters dedicated to
mulas and mnemonics. The authors take time to ex-
the surgical management and reconstruction of all the
plain key aspects of the pathophysiology encountered
primary sites of the upper aerodigestive tract and skull
during care of the burn patient. They provide the reader
base, the text includes chapters focused on the manage-
with a firm understanding of the purpose of the medical
ment of the periorbital region, trachea and mediasti-
and surgical interventions intended to alter that patho-
num, esophageal reconstruction, and carotid-based pro-
physiology and ultimately help patients survive burn
cedures. This text will stand as a lasting tribute to the
injuries. The Essential Burn Unit Handbook, in its 11
contributions of Dr. Loré to the field of head and neck
chapters, covers essential areas of burn care, from types
of injuries (eg, thermal, chemical, inhalational) to types
of patients (ie, children vs adult) to intensive care (eg,
Head & Neck 28: 658–659, 2006 nutrition, rational use of antibiotics). Yet, this text is
Published online 13 February 2006 in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.
wiley.com). not an exhaustive review of burn injury theory and
DOI: 10.1002/hed.20405 management and appropriately provides some opin-
' 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. ions, tempered by years of experience, of the authors.

658 Book Reviews HEAD & NECK—DOI 10.1002/hed July 2006

 This text does not focus on the reporting of the current
burn literature’s outcome statistics or areas of scientific
study and debate. Nevertheless, a relatively comprehen-
sive list of references is available at the end of each chap-
ter. The Essential Burn Unit Handbook includes easy-to-
use tables and charts and illustrations. Surgical techni-
ques commonly performed for burn patients, such as skin
grafting and escharotomy, are mentioned, but the text
does not endeavor to fully describe technical aspects of
those surgical procedures and/or their outcomes. A helpful
feature of this book is the presence of material directed at
the concise presentation and complete clinical documenta-
tion in the form of sample orders and note templates.
Book Reviews
The Essential Burn Unit Handbook accomplishes
the authors’ purpose of providing a concise, practical,
and informative pocket-reference to assist the target
audience in providing care for the burn patient while
demystifying unique aspects of that care. Therefore,
this book is a useful adjunct to the library of that nurse
practitioner, medical student, resident, and/or physi-
cian seeking to understand basic concepts of burn
patient care while performing that care both efficiently
and competently.
JASON M. GUILLOT, MD
Jackson, Mississippi
HEAD & NECK—DOI 10.1002/hed July 2006 659