An introduction to clinical emergency medicine. Guide for practitioners in the emergency department

Anthony M. Herd

EDITORS S.V. Mahadevan, Gus M. Garmel PUBLISHER Cambridge University Press, 100 Brook Hill Dr, West Nyack, NY 10994-2133, USA; TELEPHONE 845 353-7500; FAX 845 353-4141; WEBSITE www.cambridge.org PUBLISHED 2005/798 pp/$75 (US)

OVERALL RATING Excellent

STRENGTHS Well researched and well written; interesting format

WEAKNESSES Reference lists too short

AUDIENCE Any practitioner who provides emergency care, whether specialist or generalist

This book is an extremely well writ ten and well researched general reference source for any health care practitioner who works in acute care. The list of contributors features some recognizable big names in emergency medicine. It is full of clinical pictures, graphs, and tables that highlight important points of discussion without duplicating written text.

The format that the authors have used keeps this lengthy text (almost 800 pages) organized and readable. It is divided into 4 main sections. The first deals with general “Principles of Emergency Medicine,” focusing on resuscitation skills. The next segment is divided into “Primary Complaints , ” as an undifferentiated patient would present. The third explores “Unique Issues in Emergency Medicine,” such as environmental emergencies. The final section contains 6 very practical and helpful appendices that outline common emergency department procedures and laboratory interpretation.

The layout of each chapter is what I found most novel and interesting. Each begins with a discussion of the “Scope of the Problem,” followed by a review of the essential anatomy and pathophysiology. The paragraphs on “History” are organized like a series of questions that a clinician would ask a patient, while the “Physical Examination” subsection usually emphasizes interpretation of vital signs, an integral skill in assessment in the emergency department. A thorough discussion of the most important general treatment principles is followed by 3 unique final sections: “Pearls, Pitfalls and Myths”; “Special patients”; and, most helpful in an overcrowded emergency department, “Disposition.”

The one weakness I do notice with this text is the relatively short list of references at the end of each chapter. While this appears to be intentional on the part of the authors and editors, it does limit the book’s usefulness for more advanced emergency medicine practitioners.

Nonetheless, it is an excellent reference source by itself, and I recommend it to anyone who works in an emergency department.