Emergencies in Anaesthesia. K. Allman, A. McIndoe and I. Wilson (editors). Published by Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Pp. 475; indexed; illustrated. Price {pound}19.95. ISBN 0-19-852099-9

This is a relatively small, plastic covered book which looksfor all the world like the younger sibling of The Oxford Handbookof Anaesthesia. But then both books do share authors and publisher.Whilst one should not judge a book by its cover, those who markettextbooks appear     

Critical Care Nursing--Science and Practice. S. K. Adam and S. Osborne (editors). Published by Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Pp. 537; indexed: illustrated. Price {pound}34.95. ISBN 0-19-852587-7.

Overall, this book gives a highly informative view of criticalcare practice, both clinically and managerially, while commentingon the evaluation of care provided     

Principles of Critical Care. F. E. Udwadia (editor). Published by Oxford University Press, New Delhi, India. Pp. 747; indexed; illustrated. Price {pound}40.00. ISBN 019-567034-5.

The first edition of this book was published in 1999, and inthe last 4–5 years it has become a recognized standardtextbook of critical care medicine in India. The second edition,I am certain, will continue to be the invaluable source of updatedtext for practicing doctors and trainees in the field of criticalcare medicine. Also, the timing of publication of this editioncould not have been more appropriate because of recent rapidgrowth of critical care     

Core Topics in Pain. A. Holdcroft and S. Jaggar (editors). Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. Pp. 345; indexed; illustrated. Price {pound}40.00. ISBN 0-521 85778-3.

This book aims to provide an introduction to the field of painmedicine. The layout is clear, with many short chapters coveringa wide range of topics. The book is divided into six sections,some of which are further subdivided. The first section provides a very readable and concise overviewof the basic science of pain mechanisms,     

Basic Science for Anaesthetists. S. Dolenska. Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. Pp. 199; indexed; illustrated. Price {pound}27.99. ISBN 0-521-67602-9.

This a re-titled revision of Dr Dolenska's book, AnaestheticData Interpretation. It is aimed both at trainees sitting thePrimary FRCA, and their trainers. The book consists of 135 figureswith accompanying expanded legends, and covers the breadth ofthe basic sciences viva voce examination. Dr Dolenska makesno pretence that this is     

Tracheostomy: a Multiprofessional Handbook. C. Russell and B. Matta (editors). Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Pp. 391; indexed; illustrated. Price {pound}19.50. ISBN 1-841-10152-4

Throughout most medical careers the practical aspects of dealingwith tracheostomies are an ignored but simultaneously fearedaspect of patient care. They are generally regarded as someoneelse's business, right up to the point when a disaster occurs.Even when the patient is breathless and needing help many healthpractitioners of all types fear to step in and execute     

Core Topics in Cardiac Anaesthesia. J. H. Mackay and J. E. Arrowsmith (editors). Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Pp. 440; indexed; illustrated. Price {pound}35.00. ISBN 1-841-10133-8

This book, with the self-explanatory title ‘Core Topicsin Cardiac Anaesthesia’ has no fewer than sixty-two authorscovering sixty-six topic-specific chapters and a comprehensiveindex and abbreviary. Any of the sixty-two contributors readingthis can breathe very much more easily from here on, as thisis a very good book indeed, with few criticisms to make or pointsto take     

Core Topics in Perioperative Medicine. J. Hudsmith, D. Wheeler and A. Gupta (editors). Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Pp. 286; indexed; illustrated. Price {pound}19.50. ISBN 1-841-10139-7

I have struggled with the notion that anaesthetists are perioperativephysicians mostly because I was unclear about what perioperativemedicine is. I hoped that after reading this book I would beable to join the new wave of anaesthetists     

Regional Nerve Blocks and Infiltration Therapy, 3rd Edn. D. Jankovic (editor). Published by Blackwell Publishing, Oxford. Pp. 430; indexed; illustrated. Price {pound}130.00. ISBN 1-4051-2263-3

Anaesthetists looking for a textbook on regional anaesthesia,or those considering updating their library, are currently spoiltfor choice. With the recent proliferation of texts, it mustbe increasingly difficult for editors to find titles to differentiatethem. In addition, textbooks in this essentially practical field,are having to compete with other media such as internet websites and CD-ROMs, which can illustrate techniques with theaid of video clips. With this thought in mind, I examined whatis a beautifully presented textbook, to see how     

Nerve Blocks in Palliative Care. F. Hicks and K. H. Simpson. Published by Oxford University Press, Oxford. Pp. 130; indexed; illustrated. Cost {pound}19.50. ISBN 0-19-852703-9

‘When considering any intervention, team members mustdo this from a position of knowledge rather than prejudice.’This is a quote from p. 4 of this little book, and it raisesthe point that some medical and nursing professionals workingin palliative care might not be aware of     

Anaesthesia for Minimally Invasive Surgery. T. A. Crozier. Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Pp. 187; indexed; illustrated. Price {pound}50.00. ISBN 1-841-10191-5

This excellently written and illustrated text will serve equallywell as a practical ‘how-to-do-it’ manual, an examinationguide, or reference source. Prof. Crozier has produced a wideranging and up to date review of a rapidly expanding field.     

Image Guided Spine Interventions. J. M. Mathis (editor). Published by Springer-Verlag, New York. Pp. 371; indexed; illustrated. Price {pound}154.00. ISBN 0-387-40320-5.

This book is written by an interventional radiologist. His prefacestates that interventional radiology is under considerable pressureas cardiology and vascular surgery appropriate existing vascularinterventions, and interventional radiologists need to be lookingconstantly for new procedures to replace this loss. This bookhas therefore been written about spine intervention proceduresthat are possible rather than necessary     

Essentials of Paediatric Intensive Care. C. G. Stack and P. Dobbs (editors). Published by Greenwich Medical Media Ltd, London. Pp. 241; indexed; illustrated. Price {pound}14.50. ISBN 1-84110-053-6

This pocket-sized handbook of paediatric intensive care coversmuch of the fundamental knowledge required by those who workwith critically ill children. It is aimed at nurses and doctorswho work for a short time in paediatric intensive care units(PICU), or those involved in the resuscitation and stabilization     

Peripheral Regional Anaesthesia: An Atlas of Anatomy and Techniques. G. Meier and J. Buettner (editors). Published by Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart, Germany. Pp. 251; indexed; illustrated. Price {pound}80.00; {euro}119.95. ISBN 3-13-139791-8

This book represents a welcome addition to the currently availabletexts on regional anaesthesia. As the title suggests, this isnot meant to be a comprehensive textbook of regional anaesthesiabut one that focuses on peripheral blocks of the upper and lowerlimb. It does not cover blocks of the     

General Ultrasound in the Critically Ill. D. A. Lichenstein. Published by Springer-Verlag, Berlin. Pp. 199; indexed; illustrated. Price {pound}77.00. ISBN 3-540-20882-4

Bedside ultrasound with ‘point of care machines’is now a reality for any critical care department. Often thesemachines are primarily used by visiting radiologists to preventwear and tear on less portable equipment. However, there ispotential benefit to be gained by the critical care physicians     

Anesthetic Pharmacology: Physiologic Principles and Clinical Practice. A. S. Evers, M. Maze (editors). Published by Churchill Livingstone, Philadelphia. Pp. 1000; indexed; illustrated. Price {pound}61.99. ISBN 0443065799

This new textbook offers a major contribution towards our understandingof the action and rationale for those drugs that anaesthetistsuse on a day-to-day basis. Unlike many of its predecessors,this attempts very successfully to integrate pharmacologicalbasic science, clinical therapeutics and, where appropriate,the scientific basis of the pathophysiology of disease statesall in one chapter. Why do we need a book like this? In his     

Pharmacology for Anaesthesiologists. J. P. H. Fee and J. J. Bovill (editors). Published by Taylor and Francis, Basingstoke. Pp. 304; indexed; illustrated. Price {pound}55.00. ISBN 1-84184-236-2

This is an excellent text covering current basic pharmacologyfor anaesthetists that will be welcomed by those studying forthe primary FRCA and by those teaching them. It is a concisebook with 21     

Evidence-based Resource in Anaesthesia and Analgesia, 2nd Edn. M. R. Tramer (editor). Published by BMJ books, London. Pp. 194; indexed; illustrated. Price {pound}30.00. ISBN 0-7279-1786-2

This is the second edition of this book and, as the title suggests,it is about evidence-based medicine (EBM) in anaesthesia andanalgesia. The focus is mainly on the latter, and it concentrateson how to deal with postoperative pain. The book     

Anaesthetic Aide Memoire, 2nd Edn. J. Urquhart and J. Hall. Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Pp. 180; indexed; illustrated. Price {pound}17.50. ISBN 1-841-10192-3

Having read the introduction, I had high hopes for this secondedition of the Anaesthetic Aide Memoire. Not too weighty andof a size that would fit into the pocket of a white coat (ormore appropriately theatre blues). In their introduction, theauthors set out their stall by saying it is a compilation oflists and diagrams to be used as a ready reference for bothsenior trainees and consultants. They see it as a useful aidto teaching and     

Foundations of Anaesthesia: Basic Sciences for Clinical Practice, 2nd Edn. H. C. Hemmings Jr and P. M. Hopkins (editors). Published by Elsevier Mosby. Pp. 903; indexed; illustrated. Price {pound}111.00. ISBN 0 3230 3707 0

‘If all else fails, and you're absolutely stuck—readthe instructions’. Only by reading the foreword of thisgreat work did I comprehend what this book is about. The forewordfrom Alan Van Poznak (including Severinghaus's review of Nunn'sseminal work on respiratory physiology) captures what this bookis all about. Penning a review