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News & Articles > 4 Star Review of Chestnut’s Obstetric Anesthesia: Principles and Practice, 6th Edition

Chestnut’s Obstetric Anesthesia: Principles and Practice, 6th Edition

By David H. Chestnut, MD, Cynthia A Wong, MD, Lawrence C Tsen, MD, Warwick D Ngan Kee, BHB, MBChB, MD, FANZCA, FHKCA, FHKAM (Anaesthesiology), Yaakov Beilin, MD, Jill Mhyre, MD, Brian T. Bateman, MD, MSc and Naveen Nathan, MD

ISBN: 9780323566889

Pub Date: 03 Apr 2019

Reviewed by: Regina Y Fragneto, M.D. (University of Kentucky College of Medicine)

Description

This is an update of the iconic book that addresses all aspects of the subspecialty of obstetric anesthesia. An accompanying ebook includes links to additional electronic resources of value to readers. The previous edition was published in 2014.

Purpose

The purpose is to provide a thorough review of obstetric anesthesia management along with the most important obstetric information that anesthesia care providers should have when caring for pregnant patients. These objectives are certainly met with content contributed by some of the subspecialty’s most prominent obstetric anesthesiologists and using an organization, design, and writing style that makes it easy to understand. The print and online formats provide unique characteristics, making both formats quite valuable to readers.

Audience

This book is intended to meet the needs of anyone who provides anesthesia care to obstetric patients, including residents and fellows in training, nurse anesthetists, anesthesiologists who occasionally care for pregnant women, and obstetric anesthesiology subspecialists. It also can serve as a resource for obstetricians and nurse midwives who want to learn more about the anesthetic management of their patients. The design of the book allows it to meet the needs of this varied audience. For those who want just the key points on a topic, these can easily be found summarized at the end of each chapter.However, this is a comprehensive textbook that provides in-depth knowledge for those seeking such detail. Dr. Chestnut and his six coauthors are all recognized experts in obstetric anesthesia, as they are responsible for the publication of some of the most important research in the subspecialty and represent the leadership in the specialty’s professional organizations.

Features

As with previous editions, among the strengths of this book are its logical organization and the way it thoroughly reviews all topics pertinent to obstetric anesthesiologists, including the most recent literature, without overwhelming readers with unnecessary minutiae. There are thorough discussions of some of the most recent and increasingly popular labor analgesia techniques in the U.S., such as programmed intermittent epidural bolus and nitrous oxide.Especially valuable are two new chapters. As we face increasing maternal mortality ratios in the U.S., effective interdisciplinary communication has been identified as a key factor for improving obstetric care. Involving patients more effectively in decisions regarding their care has also been emphasized, especially with obstetric patients who as a group have always tended to request an active role. The new chapter, “Shared Decision-Making and Communication,” addresses both these topics very well. The opioid epidemic has disproportionately affected patients in the age group represented in the obstetric population, and there are data showing opioids prescribed to women peripartum sometimes serve as a conduit to chronic opioid use. Thus, the chapter, “Chronic Pain During and After Pregnancy,” is particularly relevant, with discussions of nonopioid techniques for managing chronic pain as well as recommendations for the care of women with opioid use disorder who are receiving medication-assisted therapy. Finally, the figures throughout the book drawn by the graphics editor, Dr. Naveen Nathan, are truly remarkable. They are clear, precise, and contribute greatly to understanding the content.

Assessment

With this sixth edition, Dr. Chestnut and his coauthors have again delivered an outstanding obstetric anesthesia textbook that has enough updates and additions to make its acquisition worthwhile for those who have the fifth edition.Perhaps because of its superb quality, there are few other comprehensive books to which it can be compared. This book, in my opinion, remains the preeminent obstetric anesthesia textbook, meeting the needs of trainees, anesthesia care providers who occasionally care for pregnant women, and obstetric anesthesiology subspecialists. This book belongs in the library of any anesthesiologist who provides care to obstetric patients.

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

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