Anesthesia: A Comprehensive Review, 2nd Edition

"This is not a textbook, rather a learning tool which directs the reader to specific sources for additional information about the topic at hand" to quote Hall and Jones, the authors of Anesthesia: A Comprehensive Review, 2nd Edition. They may be stating the obvious; however, it is a point well taken. No one review tome, especially of the question and answer type, would be able to supply all the information necessary for the ABA written examination or a re-certification examination. This 2nd edition, like the 1st edition, is divided into two parts: Basic Sciences with four chapters and Clinical Science with seven chapters. In contrast to the 1st Edition, Hall and Jones have enlisted the aid of five contributing authors from the Mayo Clinic to help update this edition. The question format of the first edition is mirrored in the 2nd edition with multiple choice and K-type questions. The subspecialty questions are fairly well covered. Organization of the Clinical Sciences is for the most part by organ systems. The emphasis on clinically relevant principles of anesthesiology is probably the strongest point of this comprehensive review. Although this reviewer would have liked more graphs, charts and diagrams accompanying the text, the explanations were clear and concise. Approximately 20 percent of the 995 questions have been updated and/or completely revised to resemble the ABA Exam. Questions regarding critical care and pain management have been added to help increase the scope of this edition. All answers now include reference(s) and pagination, which is an improvement over the 1st edition; the reader no longer has to refer to a separate reference section at the end of the book. The authors reference 50 solid textbooks, incorporating 19 additional references over their first edition. One of the major assets of this book is that it is a good starting point to aid the anesthesia provider in organizing a balanced study program. This review book may be one of the best, least expensive, "over-the-counter" question and answer books available for the written ABA examination and/or re-certification examination available to-date.