Neurocritical Care Management of the Neurosurgical Patient

By Monisha Kumar, MD; W. Andrew Kofke, MD, MBA, FCCM, FNCS; Joshua M. Levine, MD, FANA, FNCS; James Schuster, MD, PhD

ISBN: 9780323321068

Pub Date: 1 April 2017

Reviewed by: David J. Dries, MD (University of Minnesota Medical School)

Description

This multidisciplinary review describes perioperative care relevant to a wide range of neurosurgical procedures and interventions in the neuroradiology suite.

Purpose

The field of neurological critical care is very young, dating only to the 1980s. Evidence supporting decision-making in this field is still being assembled. This book summarizes much of the available wisdom.

Audience

Senior providers in multidisciplinary critical care units where neurological patients are housed or neurointensivists who will devote their practice to the care of neurosurgical patients will benefit from this book, which originates in leading neurosurgical and neurocritical care programs in the U.S.

Features

Chapters are effectively and appropriately divided into sections beginning with a broad discussion of anesthetic and perioperative care considerations followed by a large group of presentations describing critical care implications of procedures performed in the interventional radiology suite, tumor resections, cranial and spinal trauma, and endovascular interventions. Concluding chapters describe the physiology and technique of intracranial function monitoring and management of complications such as postoperative hemorrhage, postprocedural intracranial hypertension, stroke, seizures, and infections. Chapters are clearly written with color highlights and texture of type enabling ready identification of subject matter components. Chapters open with a brief introduction and key concepts. Excellent use is made of complementary multicolor tables and boxes to reinforce written presentations. Illustrations of high quality are extremely valuable in a work such as this. Black-and-white line drawings, multicolor drawings, and radiographs are used to good effect. Each chapter contains an ample reference list with citations dating to within three to four years of publication. Emphasis is placed on guidelines when available, classic papers, or neurological society consensus statements. The table of contents groups chapters as briefly noted above so that areas of content can be readily identified. A detailed subject index includes separate entries for boxes, tables, and figures.

Assessment

This is a premier reference for perioperative care of a complex patient group. Contributors include many of the leading authorities in the discipline and chapters often are written by a combination of anesthesiologists, surgeons, and intensivists. Production quality is outstanding. The use of color illustrations to highlight important aspects and radiographs is excellent. This book should be seriously considered for the library of anyone managing neurosurgical patients. The online material is easy to navigate and complements the print book well.

Doody’s Review Service Weighted Numerical Score: 96- 4 Stars!