Critical Care Medicine: Perioperative Management, 2nd Edition.
Edited by Michael J. Murray, M.D., Ph.D., Douglas B. Coursin, M.D., Ronald G. Pearl, M.D., Ph.D., Donald S. Prough, M.D. Philadelphia, Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 2002. ISBN: 0-7817-2968-8. Pages: 928. Price: $149.
Critical Care Medicine: Perioperative Management , in its 2nd edition, remains one of the leading critical care textbooks and addresses not only intensive care issues but also perioperative issues and the intensive care unit (ICU). This new edition comes in an attractive single volume of 928 pages. With this edition, new authors have been added as well as new chapters, while other chapters from the first edition have been updated. During the 5 years between the two editions, there have been significant breakthroughs in the critical care medicine field. It is good to see these covered comprehensively throughout the book, particularly in the chapters on acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome, and diagnosis and treatment in infection.
The text begins with four chapters on perioperative assessment and ICU organization, an approach that distinguishes this book from standard ICU texts. The chapter on ethical and end-of-life issues is particularly good at tackling these difficult topics, which are often approached poorly in the ICU setting.
In section II: Perioperative Interventions and Pathophysiology, the issues regarding general ICU pathophysiology are covered well with polished chapters on evidence-based medicine, research, and informatics.
Section IX is devoted to infection and immunology and begins with an excellent chapter on evaluation of fever in the ICU. With helpful flow diagrams and diagnostic and treatment strategies, this chapter guides the reader through the myriad causes of ICU fevers with possible treatments. Sepsis, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, and the management of life-threatening infection are also very well summarized.
Section X provides a thorough review of transplantation medicine with an exceptional review on liver transplantation.
Section XI, the closing section, guides the reader through specialized ICU care, including obstetric, trauma, and burn patients. This section is covered particularly well, especially when compared to the standard ICU tomes.
One area of disappointment is the use of poor pictures and graphics to highlight techniques and procedures in the ICU. Another surprising omission is the perioperative care of the vascular patient (with the exception of a short paragraph on renal protection for abdominal aortic aneurysm repair). There is no mention at all of newer methods of abdominal aortic aneurysm repair such as endovascular approaches and their perioperative concerns.
In summary, the 2nd edition of Critical Care Medicine: Perioperative Management is a multidisciplinary text written by a stellar group of authors and edited by four well-known and experienced editors. It remains an excellent and comprehensive critical care textbook. With its slant on perioperative management, it holds a niche that sets it apart from other ICU texts. Furthermore, it is refreshing to see up-to-date, evidence-based theories. At only $149, this is good value for the money.
