Principles of Neonatology, 1st Edition

By: Akhil Maheshwari, Akhil, MD, FAAP, FRCP 

ISBN: 9780323694155 

Publication Date: November 20, 2023 

Reviewer: Jay P. Goldsmith, MD (Tulane University School of Medicine) 

Description 

This is the first edition of this globally oriented-neonatal textbook. The book is comprehensive in scope and has excellent illustrations. 

Purpose 

The editor recognizes that there are many textbooks focused on neonatal problems but opines that there is still a need for one with a global scope that is convenient and not so large to be not useful. These are worthy objectives, and the material is presented in a more concise way than most textbooks. The website is easy to access, and has all the references and easy hyperlinks to Pubmed. 

Audience 

The book is written for all providers of neonatal care. It will be most useful to physicians and fellows in training. Many of the authors of individual chapters are names not familiar in the standard texts in the United States, but others bring a world renown expertise to the task including Drs. Carter, Hudak, Lakshminrushima, Puopolo, Saugstad, and others. Some of the younger authors offer a fresh approach to topics that have been covered numerous times in other texts. 

Features 

In 22 sections and 102 chapters, the text presents a comprehensive and global review of neonatal disease and other aspects of neonatal healthcare delivery. Chapters including the design of a neonatal unit featuring the University of Maryland, safe use of health information technology, early detection of cerebral palsy, palliative care, and healthcare leadership add a unique aspect to the text. As in most comprehensive textbooks, the majority of the book uses an organ system approach to neonatal disease. 

Assessment 

There have been several attempts to compete with the major three neonatal hardcover textbooks, Martin and Fanaroff’s Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, 12th Edition, Martin and Fanaroff (Elsevier, 2025), Avery and MacDonald’s Neonatology: Pathophysiology and Management of the Newborn, 8th Edition, Boardman et. Al. (Wolters Kluwer, 2021), and Avery’s Diseases of the Newborn, 11th Edition, Sawyer and Gleason (Elsevier, 2023) over the last three decades and only one has gone on to even have a second edition, Intensive Care of the Fetus and Neonate, 2nd Edition, Spitzer (Mosby, 2005). It remains to be seen whether this text, with its global orientation, will be able to have staying power. This text is an excellent contribution to the global field of neonatology and its unique approach may distinguish it. The writing by many unfamiliar authors is crisp and easy to understand and the illustrations are excellent. Hopefully, this text will find enough interested readers to warrant further editions. 

©Doody’s Review Service, 2024, Jay P. Goldsmith, MD (Tulane University School of Medicine), Doody’s Score: 98 – 5 Stars! 

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