Obstetric Anesthesia

Eveline Faure

In the fast growing practice of obstetrical anesthesia a new textbook containing updated information is welcome. This book uses a problem-solving approach. Most chapters are written by two or more contributors from obstetrics, anesthesiology, and other consulting specialties. The author, a well-known expert in the field of obstetrical anesthesia, has undertaken the difficult task of including all aspects of perinatology, which leads to repetition and increased volume. The author's intent was to explain anesthetic care for the unique needs of a healthy parturient as well as to serve as a source of reference for the treatment of complicated patients. The book is divided into four sections: preoperative assessment, intraoperative management, postoperative care, and managing an obstetrical anesthesia service. The chapters pertinent to obstetrical anesthesia, especially the chapters on spinal anesthesia, anesthesia for the stressed fetus, and complications of regional anesthesia, are comprehensive and up-to-date. Other chapters relating solely to obstetrics render the book lengthy and distract from its purpose. The outstanding feature of this textbook is its up-to-date bibliography. The sections on managing an obstetrical anesthesia service are new and serve as a unique reference. For the student, subject-oriented information (e.g., physiological effects of sympathetic blockade) is scattered in different chapters, which requires diligent reading. The book is adequately and clearly illustrated, and the intrauterine ultrasound scans and the MR images of the lumbar spine deserve special mention. The tables are easy to read and complement the text. Each chapter is followed by a summary andup-to-date and pertinent references. Subjects in the alphabetical index are easy to find. As with many contributed books, the quality of chapters varies among the contributors. This book is a valuable addition to the obstetrical anesthesia library because of its comprehensive content and up-to-date references. As such it serves as a guide to understanding the current practice of obstetrical anesthesia and the care of high-risk patients.

From The Critics

Reviewer: Eveline Faure, MD (University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine)
Description: In the fast growing practice of obstetrical anesthesia a new textbook containing updated information is welcome. This book uses a problem-solving approach. Most chapters are written by two or more contributors from obstetrics, anesthesiology, and other consulting specialties. The author, a well-known expert in the field of obstetrical anesthesia, has undertaken the difficult task of including all aspects of perinatology, which leads to repetition and increased volume.
Purpose: The author's intent was to explain anesthetic care for the unique needs of a healthy parturient as well as to serve as a source of reference for the treatment of complicated patients. The book is divided into four sections: preoperative assessment, intraoperative management, postoperative care, and managing an obstetrical anesthesia service. The chapters pertinent to obstetrical anesthesia, especially the chapters on spinal anesthesia, anesthesia for the stressed fetus, and complications of regional anesthesia, are comprehensive and up-to-date. Other chapters relating solely to obstetrics render the book lengthy and distract from its purpose.
Audience: The outstanding feature of this textbook is its up-to-date bibliography. The sections on managing an obstetrical anesthesia service are new and serve as a unique reference. For the student, subject-oriented information (e.g., physiological effects of sympathetic blockade) is scattered in different chapters, which requires diligent reading.
Features: The book is adequately and clearly illustrated, and the intrauterine ultrasound scans and the MR images of the lumbar spine deserve special mention. The tables are easy to read and complement the text. Each chapter is followed by a summary and up-to-date and pertinent references. Subjects in the alphabetical index are easy to find.
Assessment: As with many contributed books, the quality of chapters varies among the contributors. This book is a valuable addition to the obstetrical anesthesia library because of its comprehensive content and up-to-date references. As such it serves as a guide to understanding the current practice of obstetrical anesthesia and the care of high-risk patients.

Booknews

In this second edition, Norris (Washington U.) approaches the subject as an anesthesiologist approaches a patient: preoperative evaluation, intraoperative management and post-operative care. The chapters in the first section provide background information, discussing the physiologic changes, how women with co-existing disease adapt to pregnancy and parturition, routine fetal evaluation, and in utero diagnosis and management of fetal anomalies and complications. The next section covers intraoperative management of the parturient throughout gestation and into the postpartum period. The last chapters examine issues surrounding the provision of obstetric anesthetic care in both community and university settings and pertinent legal and ethical issues. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

3 Stars from Doody