Critical-Care Books

You need a magnifying glass to read the incredibly small print - which reads like a textbook. Not an easy read.

A slim volume, this book is critical reading for anyone who wants to understand and improve health care for everyone--by making the system work better for those who currently have access and helping to craft workable solutions to the millions left out. David Mechanic has been writing about health care for decades. Mechanic's incisive analysis gets at the fundamental conflicts of values and cash behind the intractable problem of health and health care in the United States.

I am sad that this will be the last volume by authors I have relied on since I began in anesthesia in 1981. This is my third purchase of one of their works but I must say that I am dissappointed. Much of the charm of earlier editions (I own 1st and 4th) seems to be missing and there seems to be a reliance on manufacturer's supplied illustrations. Explanations and diagrams seem to come directly from the manufactuer.

That being said I would still recommend this book to students (both SRNAs and Resident physcians)as a required text. This book will alow you to be competent to trouble shoot a system while waiting for BME to arrive,or for you to feel confident to swap a machine in the middle of a case. It gives you a familiarization of much adjunct equipment before you use it the first time. It apprises you of possible hazards and deals with evnvironmental issues in anesthetizing locations.

Not their best work, but have not seen anyone else consistently cover this topic over the span of their work. A replacement will be hard to find, and future practitioners will suffer with their retirement.

An inevitable must for all new residents coming into the world of anaesthesia and medical technology.
Each new edition of the book gets more and more modern equipment oriented - losing out on the simplistic educational value of the older equipment. The gradual loss of the Non-rebreathing valves, from the second edition followed by Goldman vaporizer, EMO, OMV etc has reduced the level of 'ease of understanding' for fresh residents. Indeed, the focus on high tech is a drawback for practice of field/military/third world anaesthesia. There is something to be learnt from the old Ward, Ehrenwerth or even the Farman for youngsters.
Other than this, an excellent & comprehensive textbook. Could have done with a little more detail on advanced newer technologies being introduced.
Dr SK Singh, Cardiothoracic Anaesthesiologist, India

Great product. The test were the same type of Q's that I saw on my nursing school test. It was great.

This study guide practically summarizes each chapter of the text book. Read the questions first and then read the text and then answer the questions in the study guide. help me tremendously!!

Product was delivered fast and in the condition stated. Very happy with experience and service.

This book is useless! It basically just outlines Iggy and if you've already made outlines while reviewing, why shed another $30 for this?! Just study the questions on the CD that came with Iggy (or the online questions on Elsevier's website) and re-read your notes again and you won't need this! And yes, this book has a lot of mistakes and as nursing majors, we can't afford to waste time on looking facts that our books are supposed to give us! Stay away from this book!

I bought this as a supplement to my textbook in hopes it would provide extra practice. The problem is there are no answers! It is not a very effective learning tool since you cannot check your work.

The software included is for PC's only. We are looking for a replacement for this book as students need to be able to get their money's worth in a university setting.

The edition for the book was not listed and I needed the 4th edition and got the 3rd edition. I think it should be required for people who are selling books, especially ones used for school, to list which edition it is.

I haven't had the opportunity to go through the book and use its contents, but the outside appearance was lacking. The sides had black marks on it and there was a sort of gash on the bottom side of the pages; so when you open the book there is a crinkle on the bottom of every page.

This book marks an excellent resource for beginning IV Therapeutics. It has easy-to-follow illustrations and simple calculations that are easily understood. The only downfall is the length of the text. I found the worksheets bound within certain chapters to be exceptionally helpful.

I found Phillips' Manual of I.V. Therapeutics to be laid out well for individual learning and classroom formats. The information is up to date and the pre- and post-tests are a great way for the student to test their knowledge and understanding. I did find a few typos and a few statements that did not go exactly with the newest INS standards but Phllips does say to go according to facility policy which does not always agree exactly with INS either. I found two pre-tests where the answer to one question at the end of the chapters did not agree with what was said in the actual chapter information. Since I agree with her information I must assume the answer given at the back of the chapter was a typo. This occurred in the pre-test for chapter 4 and chapter 10. Phillips also talked about using Urokinase which has been recalled. For these reasons I did not give this book five stars but still feel it is best in format and over all information of any book I have found for use in my LPN IV Certification class. Thank you Ms.Phillips.

This book is a must have if you are trying to study for the CEN. It is a wonderful resource for all things related to Emergency nursing and basic info related to nursing in general.

I'm a new grad RN going to the ER and I think I'll function better and learn faster after reading this book.

Book has a lot of filler but not a lot of good crucial information. It seems the author's goal was more to get the page count up than to deliver needed info.

Way, way over priced for what it is.

I purchased this book to review for the CEN, and to brush up on my general emergency nursing knowledge. So far I have made it to page 451 (out of 800+) and I am rather disappointed. Many of the nuances that could make this a great text simply aren't there--such as tricks of the trade and drug info and more background on conditions. In addition, there just doesn't seem to be any life to this book. Ok, granted it is a textbook---but I have read textbooks before with some life in them, and this isn't one of them. It is so boring and dull it just makes me want to cry. I start to read and find myself several hours latter drooling all over the book, wishing that I had been abducted by aliens as that would have been a better way to past the time. Finally, this book glosses over several common ER complaints, does not cover several others, and seeds the material that it does provide with errors and outdated facts. I am, however, determined to finish reading it and to pass the CEN.

I purchased this book because the ENA Core Curriculum has gone to a new edition and used copies don't seem to be available anywhere. (Have been trying to get one since June 07.) This book seems to skim over many important topics and I find that although I haven't yet completed my BSN, I already know most of the information in the book. Like other reviewers, I was expecting more skill/technique information and emergency nursing insight.

The CEN tests for core knowledge in emergency nursing. The course content excludes cutting edge information until it is accepted as standard of care across all emergency departments. To be fair, relatively new standards of care -- such as the 5-tier ESI triage -- cannot become part of the testing process until implemented by most emergency nurses across the nation.

Therefore, a reference text for preparing for the CEN should stick to accepted standards in emergency care. Sheehy's text meets this objective well. The layout and illustrations cover core knowledge in an organized and easily understood format. I found the book helpful in preparing for my CEN. In addition, the instructor for my CEN review course recommended it highly. The text is an excellent adjunct to practice questions and timed computer exams.

This book contains excessive amounts of typos and grammatical errors. I feel it was rushed to the press. The content in the anatomy sections is often incomplete or unrelated to the disorders discussed. For example, labyrinthitis is explained, but the labyrinth itself is never defined.

This is the best med-surg book available. I used to own the two volume set, but bought the new one volume. Good God! It's got to be over 15 lbs! Must be all of that wonderful info. Great resouce.

The book and study guide contain many inconsistencies/errors for example in Chapter 69, there are two answers to the study guide that are contraindicated in the text, as well in chapter 70, the term re-epithelialisation is replaced with epithealialisation. But all in all much better than the error ridden Potter and Perry I had first term. Elsevier should emply better editors.

I was very disappointed with the pocket handbook for several reasons, the primary being that the ACLS guidelines were not the updated current ones. I also found the small print difficult to read and the use of only black print with no color coding made it hard to search though.

As a new nurse to ICU I have found this pocket guide handy as a reference, a teacher, and for finding information quickly It is easy to use, with a lot of information needed in the adult ICU. It has a very good section on IV medication with dilutions and infusion times. The size of the actual pocket guide itself is somewhat larger than others that I have seen, but it has easy to read print size.

This manual is completely worthless. Do NOT buy if you are just re-certifying; I really don't know what I was thinking. I gaurantee that you will not learn anything new.

I suppose it is worthwhile for those learning CPR for the first time (at least it's cheap).

I am keeping this one for myself. Such a great informative book. I will be getting another as a gift for my aging mother. If you are not a medical professional you may want this book.

This was a very disappointing book. I think many of the citations were old and some of the therapies made almost no sense from a practitioner stand-point. I also think that some of the therapy choices for the elderly were entirely wrong.
I would not recommend this book.

Reviewer: Stewart B. Leavitt, PhD, Editor, www.Pain-Topix.com.

We had a prepublication copy of "Clinical Management of the Elderly Patient in Pain" for review at Pain-Topix.com. As this excellent book strongly emphasizes, pain is a multifaceted and multiply determined phenomenon, yet it is individually experienced. Everyone "knows pain"; although, everyone knows pain differently.

Given that broad outlook, the unique perspective of this 360-page text edited by physicians Gary McCleane and Howard Smith focuses on the most rapidly growing segment of the population -- persons aged 65 and older. Of critical concern, healthcare professionals are increasingly expected to understand and to provide diagnostic services and pain treatments that take into account the special needs these senior citizens, both physically and psychologically.

Joined by some of the world's leading authorities on pain management, the editors describe the particular challenges that arise in providing pain relief to elderly patients. They examine conventional treatments with opioid and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as a broad range of alternatives to consider when first-line medications fail. Some approaches are still in development, while others might be considered unconventional. Non-drug options for pain relief from the fields of physical medicine and psychology also are explored, The text is extensively referenced throughout, at all times providing an evidence-based perspective that lends credibility to the recommendations.

The book is divided into 19 chapters, addressing such essential clinical concepts as:

-- pain as an aspect of advancing age;

-- diagnostic difficulties in patients who may be sedated or cognitively impaired;

-- how pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics may differ in elderly patients;

-- available therapeutic options, including opioids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-epileptic drugs, tricyclic antidepressants, membrane stabilizers, topical agents, and others;

-- physical therapy approaches;

-- psychosocial factors and related therapy options for ameliorating pain in the elderly.

The last chapter -- Treatment of Common Conditions, authored by editor McCleane -- should be of particular interest to busy clinicians. It summarizes options for initiating treatment for a variety of pain-producing disorders, taking into account the need for effective analgesia that is well-tolerated in the elderly. Topical, oral, and parenteral therapies are presented for 16 common conditions of concern in this population, including: osteoarthritis, fracture pain, diabetic neuropathy, peripheral vascular disease, sciatica, and others. The author is mindful that the patient must be considered as a whole person, and therapies that may be complicated by adverse reactions may pose greater problems than untreated pain.

A 17-page Appendix describes important potential interactions of agents used for analgesia with other medications. This always is of concern, since polypharmacy is so common in these patients and an awareness of drug-drug interactions should influence the choice of alternatives.

There is much to learn from "Clinical Management of the Elderly Patient in Pain" for treating pain across the age spectrum, but it obviously would be of most significance for any healthcare provider concerned with the particular needs of aging patients. Therefore, physicians, physician's assistants, nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists, social services staff, and others would find elements in this book of interest and usefulness in their daily practices; helping them to provide greater comfort in this growing patient population.

El libro es casi una compilación de listas que abarcan diversos temas de los Cuidados Críticos. Los tópicos están tratados en forma superficial, no están bien actualizados y, por sobretodo, no puede competir en calidad y credibilidad con las fuentes electrónicas del conocimiento médico.
Me parece una obra por completo innecesaria en el siglo XXI. Le sugiero que no lo compre.

I bought this book for an ICU rotation as intern and it has been remarkably useful. It is very concise yet useful in clinical application. For the busy intern or resident that doesn't have a lot of time for outside reading this the perfect companion. It also provides reference for source journal articles for further reading if interested. Overall, I am very happy I purchased this book.