E BOOK REVIEW
Anesthesia: A Comprehensive Review and 3 tables); pediatric physiology and anesthesia (answers
(5th Edition)
Brian A. Hall, Robert C. Chantigian. Philadelphia, PA:
Elsevier Saunders, 2015, 317 pages, $99.95 (USD;
reduced to $74.96) for the book, $99.95 for the eBook-
PDF, ISBN: 978-0-323-28662-6
T his book is a compilation of multiple-choice questions
Downloaded from https://journals.lww.com/anesthesia-analgesia by BhDMf5ePHKav1zEoum1tQfN4a+kJLhEZgbsIHo4XMi0hCywCX1AWnYQp/IlQrHD3MkvQek4JX5QMUvqmn7KWDJqbECfvsV55MDXU4sJV8SdrBCHUQ7FM9Q== on 05/30/2020
related to the field of anesthesia edited by 2 anesthesiolo-
gists from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine Department
of Anesthesiology. Contributions by 5 authors from the
Mayo Clinic and 1 author from the University of Alabama
Department of Anesthesiology were provided.1
Each group of questions is followed by a section that lists
the correct answers, explanations, and references. Tables
and diagrams are used to illustrate and make points. The
editors state that “each question has been vetted by 2 or
more reviewers in the various anesthetic subspecialties,”
that “the questions have been referenced to the most recent
editions of anesthesia textbooks or journal publications,”
and that “several Mayo Clinic anesthesia residents contrib-
uted to this work by checking textbook references and cita-
tions and by proofreading the chapters before production.”
The book is well organized and subdivided into 2 major
parts (1 and 2). Part 1 covers basic sciences: anesthesia equip-
ment and physics (answers section includes 5 figures and
6 tables); respiratory physiology and critical care medicine
(answers section includes 2 figures and 1 table); pharmacol-
ogy and pharmacokinetics of intravenous drugs (answers
section includes 1 figure and 8 tables); and pharmacology
and pharmacokinetics of volatile anesthetics (answers sec-
tion includes 5 figures and 2 tables).
Part 2 of the book covers clinical sciences: blood products,
transfusion, and fluid therapy (answers section includes 2
tables); general anesthesia (answers section includes 1 figure
DOI: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000001483
September 2016 • Volume 123 • Number 3 www.anesthesia-analgesia.org 787
Copyright © 2016 International Anesthesia Research Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
section includes 2 figures and 2 tables); obstetric physiol-
ogy and anesthesia (answers section includes 1 figure and
3 tables); neurologic physiology and anesthesia (answers
section includes 2 figures); anatomy, regional anesthesia,
and pain management (answers section includes 4 figures);
and cardiac physiology and anesthesia (answers section
includes 1 figure).
The texts of questions and answers are thorough and
easy to read and follow. The topics cover the essential
aspects of anesthesia, and they are not meant to substitute
for textbooks or reading the literature. The answers sections
are a quick reference for trainees and trained anesthesia
practitioners. The questions can be used to start a teaching
point by anesthesia attending physicians in academic medi-
cal centers. In a time in which we strive to emphasize evi-
dence-based practices, a weakness of this multiple-choice
questions book is that a substantial portion of the references
are made to anesthesia textbooks and not to the original
articles that produced that knowledge.
In summary, it is clear that a lot of work by many indi-
viduals was put to produce this new edition. We should con-
gratulate the authors on producing a book that addresses
many important topics in a fashion that is easily under-
standable by most practitioners.
Mazen Maktabi, MD
Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and
Pain Medicine
Massachusetts General Hospital
Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts
MMAKTABI@mgh.harvard.edu
REFERENCE
1. Hall BA, Chantigian RC. Anesthesia: A Comprehensive Review,
5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2015.