Saunders Manual of Critical Care

AORN Journal,  August, 2005  by Valerie Hodgdon

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Saunders Manual of Critical Care James A. Kruse, Mitchell P. Fink, Richard W. Carlson 2003, 850 pp $84.95 softcover

This book is designed for intensivists, emergency medicine physicians, and nurses involved in the management of critically ill patients. The manual is written by three medical school professors who teach in the critical care setting at major medical centers and also includes numerous contributors from different specialties and professions, including nursing and pharmacy. The authors and contributors are knowledgeable and present their topics in a clear, concise manner. When there is no clear consensus on treatment options, more than one approach is offered.

The manual provides a review of symptoms and treatment options in an easy-to-read, outline format. Each chapter deals with a particular disorder, some common and some infrequent, experienced by critically ill patients. At the end of each chapter, a bibliography directs readers who wish to explore the subject of the chapter in more detail.

The book is divided into sections that deal with the various body systems. For example, the section on intra-abdominal disorders covers acute abdominal pain, acute pancreatitis, acute alcoholic hepatitis, fulminant hepatic failure, upper and lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage, diarrhea, and toxic megacolon. In each chapter, there is a listing of the common symptoms, etiology, common laboratory findings, imaging studies, differential diagnoses, treatment, and prognosis.

Some of the other subjects covered in the manual include problems frequently encountered in the intensive care unit (ICU), pulmonary and cardiac disorders, electrolyte and acid-base disturbances, neurologic crises, infectious diseases, hematologic problems, and surgical and traumatic conditions. The pharmacology section provides common therapies, standard doses, contraindications, medication interactions, and side effects for a wide variety of agents commonly used in the ICU. The section on monitoring covers such subjects as hemodynamic and oxygen transport data; techniques for intravascular and intracranial pressure monitoring; blood gas and oximetry interpretation; and mechanical ventilation, including chapters on positive pressure ventilation, oxygen therapy, and discontinuing mechanical ventilation.

The design of the book is practical for clinicians working at the bedside of critically ill patients. Disorders are listed on the front inside cover, and medications, procedures, and monitoring are listed on the back inside cover. This allows readers to quickly locate the desired subject without thumbing through the entire volume.

This book is available from Saunders, The Curtis Center, Independence Square West, Philadelphia, PA 19106

VALERIE HODGDON

RN, CNOR OR EDUCATION COORDINATOR

MAINE MEDICAL CENTER

PORTLAND, ME

COPYRIGHT 2005 Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc.
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