Gabbe’s Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies, 8th Edition

By: Mark B. Landon, Henry L. Galan, Eric R. M. Jauniaux, Deborah A. Driscoll, Vincenzo Berghella, William A. Grobman, Sarah J. Kilpatrick, and Alison G. Cahill

ISBN: 9780323608701 

Pub Date: March 9, 2020

Reviewed By:  Barbara Hoffman, MD (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center) 

Description  

This 1300-page, 59-chapter, hardcover textbook of obstetrics is one of the premier books on the topic. The chapters are arranged into logical sections. The use of headers within the chapters effectively guides readers. Ample tables, figures, and a “key point” box in each chapter enhance and support the text. The index is sufficiently granular to make searches easy. This comprehensive text is essential for any medical school library. 

Purpose  

The book aims to provide a full resource for the clinical care of pregnant women and their fetuses/newborns. Given the importance of childbearing and the recent focus on maternal morbidity, this book fills a vital space and certainly meets its goal to be an encompassing guide. The online version of the book simply recapitulates the print text. 

Audience  

The book’s target audience is residents and fellows training in obstetrics and maternal fetal medicine. The accessibility of the content would also make it a suitable resource for residents in family medicine, internal medicine, and anesthesia and for midwives and obstetrical nursing staff. The book offers an impressive authorship. The editors and contributing authors are nationally and internationally known experts in the field and in their areas of expertise. 

Features  

This thorough textbook covers the important physiological aspects of pregnancy and fetal development. It presents the fundamentals of normal prenatal care and delivery. In later sections, pregnancy and fetal complications, their diagnosis, and treatment are discussed. Last, postpartum topics are presented. 

Assessment   

This book is a must-have for medical school libraries. Those providing care for pregnant women will find it to be a comprehensive and accessible resource. It compares most closely with Williams Obstetrics, 26th Edition, Cunningham, et al. (McGraw Hill, 2022). This is the eighth edition, with the last edition published in 2017. Given the rapid changes in the specialty, this current edition is a needed update. I have the seventh edition in my library, and I am glad to add this eighth edition. 

©Doody’s Review Service, 2022, Barbara Hoffman, MD (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center)

Doody’s Score: 94 – 4 Stars!

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