Monitoring in Anaesthesia and Critical Care Medicine

Abstract

Monitoring in Anaesthesia and Critical Care Medicine. Eds. C. D. Blitt, R. L. Hines. Churchill Livingstone International, Edinburgh, 1994. Price £122.00, pp. 818. There is a saying in certain parts of the United Kingdom which refers to the frequency of buses. For all I know it may be the local corollary of a new international law. It says that you can wait hours for a bus and then two will come along together. In reviewing Monitoring in Anaesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, edited by Blitt and Hines, I feel I have a new corollary to offer on the saying: you can wait years for good books on monitoring and then two come along together, since it is only recently I reviewed a very similar book edited by Professor Lake with a very similar title. And like buses the one you chose to board will depend on what sort of passenger you are and what destination you have in mind. For such books I think there are probably two types of passenger (reader): the experienced anaesthetist who wants to update him or herself about the current state of the art and will probably use the book mostly for reference, taking short trips, dipping into it from time to time and the less experienced or trainee anaesthetist who is more likely to want to go all the way from the beginning of the route through to the terminus, i.e. from cover to cover. In general, Monitoring in Anaesthesia and Critical Care Medicine is very thorough. It goes into some depth about the scientific background and principles of the instruments it considers, as well as the clinical applications of the measurements they make. Clear diagrams well linked to the text make explaining procedures such as catheter placement clear and readable. The bibliographies it offers at the end of each of the articles are extensive, though they show the irksome tendency of many American books for a heavy preponderance of American references whether or not they are really the most authoritative in the literature. This USA centred approach is repeated in the emphasis on American monitoring and safety standards. Despite this it would be a book I would recommend to a trainee to read, though not as the first text or only text on the subject of monitoring. For the experienced anaesthetist I am less confident about recommending it. For the experienced anaesthetist with a specific interest in monitoring, which I think is this book's target readership, more up-to-date information may best be obtained through review articles or similar. However, without a doubt Monitoring in Anaesthesia and Critical Care Medicine would be a welcome addition to the library of any Anaesthetic Department. PAUL BEATTY Manchester