Williams &. Wilkins, Baltimore, Maryland. 1983. $40.75 (US). ISBN 0-683-. 07364-8 ... Edited by William J. Sibbald. 341 pp. Illust. Williams & Wilkins, Bal- timore ...
BOOKS AND FILM REVIEWS
Emergency procedures Pediatric Emergencies Manual. Edited by Martin R. Eichelberger and Gerry Stossel-Pratsch. 156 pp. I1lust. University Park Press, Baltimore, Maryland. 1984. $16 (US). ISBN 0-8391-1995-X
This is one of the few manuals devoted to the management of pediatric emergencies. Intended primarily for paramedics providing emergency care outside hospital or at the time of a sick child's arrival at hospital, the book provides valid information for every health care provider. The first of 10 sections deals with life-sustaining systems, assessment of the sick child, measurement of vital signs, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and so on. The section on pediatric CPR merits particular mention. Various techniques and their complications are described; and the discussion on field management and transportation to health care facilities is superb. The steps required in the performance of CPR are emphasized. Of particular interest is the section on children's emotions and parents' concerns at the time of crisis, an aspect that is commonly ignored. Various methods of psychological support and coping are suggested. One section describes various medical and surgical emergencies, and another deals with emergencies in the newborn and infants. There is an elaborate index and a selective and pertinent bibliography. The figures and tables are useful and contribute well to the text. There are a few sections in which information is needed and some details about which I disagree with the authors. The recommended use of a padded tongue blade in the mouth of a child who is having a seizure is inappropriate; indeed, this
procedure could prolong the seizure. Trismus occurs frequently during a generalized seizure and is transient. If a patient's teeth are tightly clenched the placement of an oropharyngeal airway should be deferred until the patient is relaxed. The use of back blows and chest thrusts in clearing an upper airway obstruction is of questionable validity in children. It should be discouraged in cases of partial obstruction since the foreign body may become dislodged, thereby producing complete obstruction. In summary, this is a welcome publication. It is readable and understandable, and it easily meets, indeed exceeds, its modestly stated goals in the preface. It will be most useful for paramedic and ancillary staff in acute care settings. G.D. Batra, MD, FRCPC Pediatric emergentologist Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Ottawa, Ont.
Atlas of Emergency Medicine. 2nd ed. Peter Rosen and George Sternbach. 234 pp. Illust. Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, Maryland. 1983. $40.75 (US). ISBN 0-68307364-8
Invasive procedures are frequently required to establish a diagnosis or to provide appropriate therapy in acute medical practice. Rosen and Sternbach describe more than 90 procedures, ranging in complexity from the insertion of an oropharyngeal airway to emergency thoracotomy. Each section of the atlas pertains to a physiologic system or anatomic region and begins with a discussion of the indications for the emergency procedure. The method of performing the procedure is described step by step. There is ample discussion of common errors in technique and potential complications, with partic-
ular emphasis on when complications are most likely to arise and how they can be avoided. Precise illustrations of the step-by-step performance of the procedure appear on the page opposite the procedure's description. The wide range of procedures described makes this atlas ideal for emergency departments. Nurses, interns, residents and emergency physicians will find descriptions and discussions of procedures that they are required to perform. The atlas is also well suited for intensive care units, medical and surgical wards, and any area in which invasive procedures are' frequently performed. The organization and clarity of the atlas allow for a rapid, concise review before a procedure is performed. Rosen and Sternbach have provided a well written, clearly illustrated review of practical material. This is not a book destined to be encased in glass in the study; it is doomed to become smudged and dog-eared in the active treatment areas of hospitals. Garth Dickinson, BA, MD, FRCPC Emergency physician Ottawa General Hospital Ottawa, Ont.
Critical care services Synopsis of Critical Care. 2nd ed. Edited by William J. Sibbald. 341 pp. Illust. Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, Maryland. 1984. $37 (US). ISBN 0-683-077104 The title of this multiauthor book is appropriate since the book provides a synopsis, not a comprehensive review, of critical care. It espouses the principles of a multidisciplinary approach and focuses on some of the more important clinical problems commonly seen by critical care physicians.
CAN MED ASSOC J, VOL. 132, JUNE 15, 1985
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