Faust’s Anesthesiology Review, 5th ed

Field: Medicine (Health Sciences)

This is one of the best-selling review books in anesthesiology and related fields. Because it is not a comprehensive standard textbook like Miller’s Anesthesia or Clinical Anesthesia, all fields of anesthesiology are not included. However, many recent topics are well summarized. It includes physiology, anatomy, and other fundamentals. It also covers cardiac anesthesia, obstetric anesthesia, and other practical issues in anesthesiology. In addition, pain medicine, critical care, risk management, and practice management are also included. It has been 5 years since publication of the 4th edition. Emerging topics that have arisen during this period were included in a single chapter. For example, sugammadex, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, liposomal bupivacaine, the basics of ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia, awake intracranial surgery, enhanced recovery pathways, nonobstetric surgery in pregnancy, fetal surgery, external cephalic version (ECV), effect of anesthesia on neural development, and the perioperative surgical home are newly described. There are a total of 243 chapters. Although regrettable, several chapters such as closed-circuit anesthesia, thiopental, diuretics, cocaine, and systemic inflammatory response syndrome were deleted from this 5th edition. We understand why the number of pages of the book is limited: this book is a review that covers new topics. Nowadays, it has become difficult to keep a wide range of current topics updated, because medical information is rapidly increasing. All of us are not always experts on all new areas. This book offers recent information that we should be aware of. This book is good for anesthesiologists who have been trained for more than several years, not for novices. For example, thiopental was deleted in this edition; however, ketamine was included. Recent topics such as the potential effects of ketamine on neuropathic pain and depressive disorder are introduced in this book. It is definitely an important and timely topic, and it is not mentioned in standard textbooks. ECV is increasingly being used; however, anesthesia for ECV has not yet become widespread. The chapter that covers ECV begins with a fundamental explanation of ECV, and a summary of clinical studies including meta-analyses is described in detail. Even if readers are not familiar with ECV, they would pass the examination by reading this chapter. Of course, trained anesthesiologists would be able to provide safe anesthesia care by reading this chapter, in combination with preexisting knowledge and techniques. Colorful illustrations and graphics are additional characteristics of this book. One or more figures or tables appear on most pages. Several illustrations are from Netter collection. All of the figures and tables help us to understand the contents. Each chapter is concisely summarized in 3 to 4 pages with necessary and sufficient content. This book is like a collection of review articles from this Journal. It should be carefully read, although the Anesthesia Secrets series1 is definitely useful when wishing to learn the answers to specific questions. For preparation of certification or recertification, this book has contributed for many years, because it was clearly designed as a study aid for the examination until the 3rd edition. However, in the 4th edition, the goal had been changed and is not meant to serve only for preparation for certification. Although it still remains useful for preparation for certification, it was not the single aim of this edition. This 5th edition follows the policy of the former 4th edition. This book has contributions by members of the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine of the Mayo Clinic. In this new edition, more than half of the contributing editors and authors were replaced with new editors and authors. Of course, most of them are again from the Mayo Clinic. The eBook is also available without additional charge. Its text and figures are clear and easy to read on a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer. The reader can also download complete chapters. All figures and tables in the printed version are retained in the eBook. Some suggested readings (references) in the eBook are linked to PubMed or to the original sources. Many readers may prefer the convenience of the eBook. At present, we are efficiently able to learn and review the latest advances with this trusted resource. Not only individuals preparing for certification or recertification but also the faculty in academic departments will find this book especially valuable. Even if you had the previous 4th edition of this book, I confidently recommend the purchase of this new edition. In addition, I look forward to the further revised 6th and newer editions in the future. Koh Mizutani, MDDepartment of AnesthesiaOsaka Rosai HospitalSakai, Japan[email protected]