Anesth Analg 2005;100:906
© 2005 International Anesthesia Research Society
BOOK AND MULTIMEDIA REVIEWS
Pediatric Anesthesia: The Requisites in Anesthesiology.
Joseph Previte, MD
Department of Pediatric Anesthesiology; Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; Cincinnati, OH
Pediatric Anesthesia: The Requisites in Anesthesiology. Litman RS. Philadelphia: Elsevier Mosby, 2004. ISBN 0-323-02216-2. 361 pp, $79.95.
Requisite: required, essential, indispensable. Why do we need a book of "requisites" of pediatric anesthesia, or for that matter is there a need for another reference text of pediatric anesthesia? There are reference texts from almost every major English speaking country: Gregory’s Pediatric Anesthesia (United States), Cote’s A Practice of Anesthesia for Infants and Children (United States), Brown and Fisk’s Anesthesia for Children (Australia), Motoyama and Davis’ Smith’s Anesthesia for Infants and Children (United States), and the Canadian/French collaboration of Bissonnette and Dalens Pediatric Anesthesia: Principles & Practice.
The first four books follow a fairly standard organization of the topics of pediatric anesthesia written by respected practitioners in the pediatric anesthesia field, with quite a bit of overlap of authors in the texts from the United States. Invariably, some chapters are better written than others. The Bissonnette text, with an extensive list of international contributors, covers the basic "nuts and bolts" of pediatric anesthesia in the first four sections. In the fifth section, surgical subspecialties are covered in paired chapters describing surgical and anesthetic considerations.
So what about this Litman text? Does it stand out from the crowd and offer us something different? Like his colleagues, Litman covers all the basic and unique subjects of pediatric anesthesia. Unlike his colleagues, Litman wrote over half of the 38 chapters himself and coauthored another six. The result is a more uniform approach that is unique and refreshing: clinically relevant material is presented in a clear and succinct manner, while avoiding the academic baggage of pages of footnotes of articles and authors. Key, groundbreaking, clinically applicable articles are identified, and salient points are listed in shadowed boxes apart from the main text.
A list of "Additional Articles to Know" are listed at the end of each chapter for reading suggestion in lieu of the time-honored tradition of extensive numbered footnotes. In addition to the text, there are interposed case presentations that walk the reader through difficult scenarios with features key to the chapter at hand. Readers are offered one of the first easily readable books on the day-to-day practice of pediatric anesthesia, containing many pearls of practical wisdom.
Is this book a requisite for the pediatric anesthesiologists’ library? No, but it is not intended for the seasoned pediatric anesthesiologist. This book is perfect for any student of pediatric anesthesia: residents and fellows, student nurse anesthetists, residents, and medical students—all of whom, by reading and incorporating the knowledge found in this text, will become better clinicians and better pediatric anesthesiologists. Those intent on a career in academic pediatric anesthesia will find much fodder for clinical or lab research throughout the book.
Dr. Litman has an achievement to be proud of. This reviewer has already recommended this text to several students of pediatric anesthesia. Do not be mistaken, this is not yet another pediatric anesthesia reference text. For that, choose one of the aforementioned texts, however, the "Requisites" should be just that for every pediatric anesthesia fellow—a requisite.
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