British Journal of Anaesthesia, 120 (2): 416e417 (2018)
BOOK REVIEW
Stoelting’s Anesthesia and Co-existing Disease, 7th edn, 2017.
RL Hines and Katherine E Marschall (editors),
Published by Elsevier. Pp. 736. Price $234.00. ISBN-13: 978-0-323-40137-1.
The relevant edition of Anesthesia and Co-existing Disease was
core reading for each of us (third and first editions, respec-
tively) as trainees. It is, therefore, a pleasure to review the
seventh edition of the book edited by Roberta Hines and
Katherine Marschall. The book has 695 pages, excluding the
index, and is presented in 31 chapters. The contents include
cardiovascular pathology (eight chapters), respiratory dis-
eases (three chapters), central nervous system (three chap-
ters), aging and paediatrics (two chapters), critical illness
(one chapter), and other systems (14 chapters). The chapter
authors are all from the United States, with many affiliated
to Yale University Medical School. The book comes with
access to an e-book that can be used offline as well as
online.
One aspect of the book that stands out is the attractiveness
and uniformity of the layout. The tables, figures, illustrations,
and photographs are invariably clear and enhance the mate-
rial in the text. The layout of each chapter is adapted to the
topic. For example, in the chapter on systematic and pulmo-
nary artery hypertension, the authors have discussed public
health implications, pathophysiology, current treatment,
perioperative implications, and procedural considerations and
key points. In comparison, the chapter on restrictive respira-
tory disease and lung transplantation appropriately covers
major diseases and anaesthetic management. All chapters end
with key points to help the reader remember the important
points.
As with many multi-author books, the quality of the
chapters varies and it is clear when the authors are genuine
authorities in the relevant field. Since the previous edition,
there are new chapters on sleep-disordered breathing and
critical illness with major updates on geriatric medicine and
cancer medicine. Some of the other chapters appear to be in
need of a greater overhaul too. This is usually evident from the
reading list at the end of the chapter, some of which do not
contain references published since the previous edition. An
example of this is the chapter that covers muscle diseases,
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which does not include the modern treatments for Duchenne
dystrophy or give emphasis to the revolution in diagnostics
brought about by advances in genetic technologies and
knowledge.
Of the new chapters, the critical illness chapter is a good
attempt at covering a potentially huge subject. It does provide
a reasonable overview for the general anaesthetist who may
be required to anaesthetize critically ill patients, but the
chapter suffers from a lack of figures and tables, which makes
for quite a dense read. The other new chapter, on sleep-related
disorders, provides comprehensive coverage of this topical
subject. The content is easy to read and follow but much of it is
repeated in an extended key points section: indeed, the last
key point was rather difficult to follow with 54 words in one
sentence. The perioperative management of patients with
obstructive sleep apnoea was described, but the STOP-Bang
tool, which is now universally accepted as the most vali-
dated screening method for surgical patients, could have been
more comprehensively addressed in the preoperative assess-
ment section. This chapter also illustrated a recurrent draw-
back of this book for an international readership, whereby
guidelines from the American Society of Anesthesiologists and
the Society of Ambulatory Anesthesia are used with no
mention of other guidelines from Europe or the UK. Similarly,
the chapter on obstructive respiratory diseases would have
benefitted from drawing on the excellent British Thoracic So-
ciety guidelines. Another problem for a non-US readership
may be the use of different drug names, for example, albuterol
instead of salbutamol.
The greatest strength of the book is in its coverage of the
physiology and pathology of various medical conditions and
how they might impact on anaesthesia: the chapter on fluid,
electrolyte, and acid-base balance is a good example of this.
There are however some areas where information is unclear
or not correct, such as the use of insulin with or without
glucose for treatment of hyperkalaemia. The doses of insulin,
glucose, or calcium salts were not included. The book might
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therefore be of limited use in assisting the detailed anaesthetic P.K. Gupta and P.M. Hopkins*
management of patients. Leeds Institute of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences, University of Leeds,
In conclusion, Stoelting’s Anesthesia and Co-existing Disease Leeds, UK
does bring together very useful material on a comprehensive *Corresponding reviewer.
range of medical conditions. Further chapters will need E-mail address: p.m.hopkins@leeds.ac.uk
updating in the next edition, but on the whole it would be a
useful departmental reference and an asset for a trainee pre-
paring for their professional examinations. doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2017.12.005