Emergency Medicine On Call
Posted on: Thursday, 16 December 2004, 03:00 CST
Emergency Medicine On Call. Edited by Samuel M. Keim. Maidenhead, Berkshire, England: Lange Medical Books/McGraw-Hill, 2004, 720 pages, $34.95 (softcover).
Emergency Medicine On Call has a remarkable amount of information packaged into a handy pocket-sized reference. This text offers a comprehensive guide for medical students and residents by providing a template for the initial evaluation and treatment of the most frequently encountered problems in emergency medicine. However, the content extends not only to clinical issues in emergency medicine but also to laboratory and pharmacologie topics that provide a complete reference for any emergency health care provider.
The text is divided into 12 different sections followed by a 37- page appendix. The first five sections make up roughly the first half of the book and consist of common clinical scenarios involving adult, pdiatrie, traumatic, geriatric, and toxicologie emergencies. section 6 deals with terrorism and addresses specific weapons of mass destruction issues, including chemical, biologic, and nuclear terrorism.
Within each section, specific emergencies are arranged alphabetically and in a concise fashion that makes them easy to scan. They are structured in a problem-based fashion with subheadings that include a clinical case presentation, immediate questions, differential diagnoses, and management strategies, including laboratory and diagnostic data.
The second half of the book is comprised of six sections that provide various topics relevant to emergency medicine practice. These areas include laboratory diagnosis, procedures, fluids and electrolytes, blood component therapy, ventilator management, and commonly used medications. Each chapter is unique in format.
The section on laboratory diagnosis includes 39 pages of brief descriptions, normal values, and differential diagnoses for abnormal values of commonly ordered laboratory tests. The section on procedures outlines step-by-step instructions for 18 common emergency procedures, including bedside ultrasonography and procedural sedation and analgesia. The section on fluids and electrolytes provides the clinical presentation, various causes, proper evaluation, and treatment of selected electrolyte emergencies. The section on blood component therapy is a brief instruction in platelet and plasma transfusion. The section on ventilator management provides basic information followed by a troubleshooting section. Last, the section on medications provides a guide to doses, indications, contraindications, side effects, and drug reactions for medications commonly used in the emergency department.
The book also contains a large appendix, which offers a quick reference to a variety of topics, from proper tetanus prophylaxis to a chart comparing various glucocorticoids. In addition, the complete index allows easy access to whatever your shift might bring.
The problem-oriented approach utilized in Emergency Medicine On Call is well suited for any student in the emergency department. While a substantial portion of the text is appropriately spent addressing the proper management of medical, traumatic, pdiatrie, geriatric, and toxicologie emergencies, perhaps what sets this pocket reference apart is the amount of supplementary information it provides. Within the same small handbook reside details that would otherwise require a search of additional texts.
It is a challenge to find many weaknesses or omissions in this guide. Although 720 pages may seem like a daunting read, this book is not intended to be read from cover to cover. One weakness may be found in the section on procedures. The ultrasound images that are provided for the focused abdominal sonography for trauma (FAST), cardiac, gallbladder, abdominal aorta, renal, and pelvic ultrasound examinations are suboptimal. The size and clarity of the images limit their usefulness as a teaching instrument. The quality of the other drawings and diagrams in this section, however, is excellent.
The editor of Emergency Medicine On Call achieves his purpose of providing a comprehensive and well-organized pocket reference for the emergency provider. The main strength of this text is the succinct, easy-to-read summaries of key emergency conditions. Additional chapters that are often not found in emergency medicine guides, such as laboratory diagnosis, procedures, blood component therapy, and commonly used medications, enhance this book's value as a single-source reference. Overall, Emergency Medicine On Call is a very worthwhile investment for the pocket or emergency department shelf.-Carl A. Germann, MD (germac@mmc.org), Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME
doi: 10.1197/j.aem.2004.07.010
-Carl A. Germann, MD (germac@mmc.org), Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME
doi: 10.1197/j.aem.2004.07.010
Copyright Hanley & Belfus, Inc. Dec 2004
Source: Academic Emergency Medicine
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