Anaesthesia for Thoracic Surgery

From The Critics

Reviewer: Christopher J. Young, MD(University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine)
Description: This second edition intends to cover the perioperative management and anesthetic considerations of thoracic surgery patients. The first edition was published in 1982. This book represents the current practice of the National Heart and Lung Hospital in London.
Purpose: The stated purpose is to provide information regarding anesthetic management for elective and emergent adult, noncardiac thoracic surgery.
Audience: The audience for this book includes anesthesia residents and fellows-in-training as well as anesthesiologists specializing in thoracic surgery. Although the text is thorough and complete in its organization, its coverage of some topics may not represent the most current research or the standards of practice in other countries.
Features: The book contains black-and-white figures, illustrations, photographs, and radiographs of good quality, usually sufficient quantity, and adequate description. Some of the more complex topics such as lung transplantation could be covered in more detail. The references given are usually numerous but may not completely represent the available literature. Also, many of the references are from before 1990 and many are much older.
Assessment: This text is thorough and relatively complete and can be a good reference for residents and fellows; however, it may not be complete enough for the thoracic specialists because the practices described may be specific to one hospital and one country, and the references provided may not fully represent the available literature.