British Journal of Anaesthesia 105 (4): 552–4 (2010)
BOOK REVIEWS
Training in Anaesthesia—The Essential Curriculum. C. Spoors
and K. Kiff (editors). Published by Oxford University Press,
Oxford, UK. Pp. 672; indexed; illustrated. Price £49.95. ISBN
978-0199227266.
This book is aimed at trainees preparing for the Primary FRCA
examination, and the editors have managed to encapsulate
within a single volume, most areas of the Primary FRCA
syllabus. The book is nearly A4 in size, and is printed on high-
quality paper with a typeface that is easy to read. The dia-
grams are plentiful, clear, and well labelled. On the whole,
photographs are well reproduced with only a few exceptions.
The contents broadly fall into three major sections: (i) basic
clinical anaesthesia, (ii) body systems, and (iii) some anaes-
thetic subspecialities, with a few additional smaller sections
towards the end of the book. Each chapter is organized
according to specific blocks of the syllabus, with topics being
presented in single- and double-page formats. The organiz-
ation of the book will be greatly appreciated by trainees who
are unsure of where to start their reading, and also those
approaching the Primary FRCA examination requiring a struc-
tured framework on which to base their revision.
The clinical anaesthesia chapters are organized to follow a
patient’s journey through the theatre environment. Initially
dealing with preoperative assessment, then the anaesthetic
room and operating theatre, and finishing in recovery.
Within these topic areas, the Primary FRCA candidate will
find most of the information required for the Physics and
Clinical measurement sections of the examination with key
principles concisely explained in a highly readable fashion.
The skills that a novice trainee will quickly need to master,
for example, potential hazards on induction and recovery
from anaesthesia, are well provided for in this book. An
example of this is the section on neuraxial blockade, which
provides the reader with a clear list of advantages/disadvan-
tages/contraindications of the techniques, accompanied by
well-written explanations and clear diagrams.
The pages describing regional anaesthesia of the upper
and lower limb are well written; however, some ultrasonic
images in addition to the schematic and photographic
images would have been a useful addition to this section.
The chapters covering the major body systems are a particu-
lar strength of this book. Each system is divided into sections:
anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, disease entities, investi-
gations, and types of monitoring used (where applicable).
In these chapters, the vast majority of pages are
enhanced by excellent coloured diagrams; many also
contain tables providing useful examples, clinical wisdom,
and important examination facts that trainees will need to
be able to easily recall. Clinically relevant anatomy is
covered as are the general physiology principles and physi-
ology that is more specific to anaesthetic practice.
& The Author [2010]. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Journal of Anaesthesia. All rights reserved.
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The anaesthetic subspecialities including obstetrics, pae-
diatrics, geriatrics, HDU and ICU care, and trauma care are
described, albeit briefly, with approximately 20 pages allo-
cated for each. While this is far from being comprehensive,
those chapters dealing with aspects of obstetric anaesthesia
and trauma provide the trainee with a solid grounding in
these areas, the latter is particularly effective, in providing
enough detail without being overwhelming and the radio-
logical images provided are particularly helpful.
The paediatric anaesthesia and intensive care medicine
chapters are not extensive; however, these chapters do high-
light some of the major issues and important principles.
The final two chapters deal with ‘Statistics for the anaes-
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thetist’ and ‘Critical incidents’. The statistics chapter contains
a useful summary of basic statistical principles and contains
informative graphs relating to specific concepts or tests.
The ‘Critical incidents’ chapter provides an excellent over-
view of many clinical situations that the trainee anaesthetist
may encounter, and whose management is a key part of the
initial competency assessment and basic level certificate.
Some important (and frequently examined topics) that are
not well covered in this textbook include basic chemistry,
mathematics, and some general pharmacodynamic and
pharmacokinetic principles. However, specific areas are
covered, for example, in the chapter on total i.v. anaesthesia
where pharmacokinetic principles are well described. A few
other areas such as electricity and magnetism receive only
relatively sparse coverage. However, these weaknesses are
few and far between and the book remains readable, porta-
ble, and applicable to daily practice.
Overall, this book has many strength, including the high-
quality illustrations, a clear and concise writing style, and
providing coverage of a broad breadth of the Primary FRCA
curriculum; in addition, it is reasonably priced. It will there-
fore make a fine addition to any department’s library and
will no doubt be extensively used by trainees preparing for
the Primary FRCA examination.
T. Lawson and J. Langton*
Plymouth, UK
*E-mail: jeremy.langton@phnt.swest.nhs.uk
doi:10.1093/bja/aeq237
Anaesthesia Secrets: Questions You Will Be Asked, 4th Edn.
J. Duke (editor). Published by Mosby Elsevier, Philadelphia,
USA. Pp. 574: indexed; illustrated. Price £32.99. ISBN 978-
0-323-06524-5.
In this fourth edition, the editor James Duke has brought
together some 46 contributors in a uniform, tried, and
tested format. Within their particular subject, the authors