Smith’s Anesthesia for Infants and Children, 9th Edition

By Peter J. Davis, MD

ISBN: 9780323341257

Pub Date: 02 Dec 2016

Reviewed by:  Robert M Arensman, MD (University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine)

Description

Now in its ninth edition, this book was first published in 1959 by Dr. Robert Smith, a pioneer in the field of childhood anesthesia. The foreword was written by Dr. Robert Gross, America’s second pediatric surgeon. So these two fields have grown and flourished together. “The ninth edition has been prepared with the same considerations as the previous editions: to give anesthesiology care providers comprehensive coverage.” This is reflected in an expansion from 400 pages in the original to 1,400 in this edition. This edition also incorporates access to an ebook for mobile devices plus access to appendixes and approximately 95 videos and a drug/dose compendium. In short, this is a soup-to-nuts reference for all things concerning pediatric anesthesia.

Purpose

The purpose is to provide rapid but comprehensive access to the broadest source of information on pediatric anesthesiology. The editors also wish to ensure that this access is by all routes currently available, taking advantage of the electronic access to medical information. With access through mobile versions for handheld devices, this edition assures use in classrooms, operating rooms, clinics, and other locations where a print book of this size and weight would be inconvenient.

Audience

The book is sufficient for even the most experienced pediatric anesthesiologists, but will be easily read and understood by students and house officers. The two editors are well known in their field and have recruited over 120 contributors from leading pediatric care centers throughout the nation. Although every field of medical practice admits to some variation in theory and technique, this tome is complete, reasonable, and reliable with its information and presentation.

Features

The book is divided into six parts that explore physiology, a general approach to pediatric anesthesia, clinical management of specialized surgical problems, anesthesia for systemic disorders, and critical care management. Within each part are 6 to 21 chapters, with the greatest number in the part on specialized surgical problems. The text is copiously illustrated with high quality color plates, and published on a high quality paper that enhances viewing and understanding.

Assessment

Overall, this is a massive updated contribution to the field of pediatric anesthesiology. It truly is a “bible” that has almost everything one would want or need to practice comfortably in this field (except the experience). Regrettably, this field changes so quickly that one can only hope the editors and contributors are already at work on the next edition.

Doody’s Review Service Weighted Numerical Score: 93 – 4 Stars!