Emergent management of trauma, second edition

This easy-to-read book is organized in an outline text format interspersed with many line drawings and algorithm diagrams. Each bulleted point in the outline is precise and concise, often consisting of just a few words. There are no complex grammatical structures or complete sentences in this book, but it is still very readable and serves as a quick reference guide. Chapters are organized by body part or system, such as “Spine,” “Hand,” and “Genitourinary,” with several special topics, such as trauma in pregnancy, out-of-hospital issues, and terrorism issues such as nuclear and biologic weapons. The larger topics, such as “Chest,” include approach to the initial workup, as well as discussions of specific injuries. Topics such as “Forearm” and “Knee” include discussions of specific injury types, ancillary studies, and treatment options, with many helpful descriptions and illustrations. One of the best features of the book is the section entitled “Radiograph Interpretation.” This section presents a systematic way to review trauma films, including 5 views of the cervical spine, chest, pelvis, skull, and extremity films. There is also a separate 50-page “Procedures” section. When learning to perform his first median nerve block on a young man who had lacerated his hand with a fish-paring knife, one of the reviewers found the suggestions and diagrams in this book more helpful than those in Roberts and Hedges.1 There are 60 pages devoted to a drug formulary that provides drug information for many medications used in trauma rooms. Each entry contains vital information on indications, side effects, dosing, and administration for many important emergency department drugs. However, all this information and more is provided in current pocket reference books and widely available PDA software.3 This information is duplicative with other sources of drug information and therefore is somewhat less useful than other portions of the text. Although focused abdominal sonography for trauma scanning is billed on the cover as one of the special updates to the second edition, there is relatively little information about it. There are drawings of abnormal findings in Morison’s pouch, the perisplenic space, and Douglas’ pouch; however, more line drawings and exposition detailing normal findings, the mechanics of placing the transducer, and so forth would be desirable. Who would benefit from owning this book? The authors themselves state that their target audience ranges from attending physicians to residents to nurses and paramedics. This book does have something to offer just about everyone. A practicing emergency physician could realistically read or skim this book in its entirety in several days, just before board or recertification examinations. Most of the information is probably too specialized for nurses or paramedics, although nurses involved in trauma care at a Level I or II trauma center may find it helpful. We think the best audience for this book would be residents and medical students on their trauma rotations. The compact paperback book fits perfectly in a white coat pocket, and the bulleted point format lends itself very well for quick reference in the trauma room or ICU.