Book Reviews

A manual of neonatal intensive care N. R. C. Roberton Edward Arnold, London, 1993, 408 pages. Price £ 14.99

This is an update of the 1986 2nd edition and continues to be a useful handbook for both medical and nursing staff. It provides a guide for the management of the acute medical and surgical problems likely to be encountered in a neonatal intensive care unit.

With 40 extra pages it has expanded chapters on: broncho-pulmonary dysplasia (BPD), infection including a section on AIDS and has a reorganised chapter on con- genital heart disease.

There are new brief chapters on necro- tising entero-colitis (NEC), drug with- drawal and eye disorders and there is a new appendix on normal blood pressure values.

At £14.99 it is still good value, and worth individuals' purchasing.

PAM WAGSTAFF BA Hons, PGCEA, RGN

Intravenous feeding of the neonate Victor Y. H. Yu and Robert A. Macmahon (eds) Edward Arnold, London, 1992, 290 pages. Price £60

This book is aimed at clinicians involved in the provision of intravenous feeding for neonates including the preterm and extremely low birthweight. It is however quite readable and the information it con- tains will be of use to neonatal nurses involved in the provision of intravenous feeding.

The book reviews current knowledge regarding such feeding and also gives practi- cal guidelines for the application of such therapy. It is in th ree sections, the first of which is a very comprehensive review of the fluid and nutritional requirements of neonates, plus the metabolism and utilisa- tion of nutrients in intravenous feeding.

The second section evaluates the benefits and risks of intravenous feedings covering such topics as the metabolic and hormonal consequences of bypassing the liver and gas- trointestinal tract or the effect on the growth of the gut. Also included are chap- ters on the effects of intravenous feeding on somatic growth, short- and long-term, the effect on the neonates immune function, complications of long-term vascular access and complications such as cholestasis.

The third section is a useful considera- tion of practical aspects of intravenous feed- ing. It includes chapters on the preparation of total parenteral nutrition (TPN), tech- niques for delivery of TPN, as well as the monitoring and assessment of neonates receiving TPN.

One of the appendices will be of particu- lar use to neonatal nurses, that is on drug interactions/compatibility with infusates.

Because of the price of this book it is unlikely to be bought by individuals. It

would however be a useful addition to the library of any neonatal unit which regularly provides TPN.

PAM WAGSTAFF BA Hons, PGCEA, RGN

Proceedings of the Vth World Congress on Cardiac Rehabilitation J. P. Broustet (ed) Intercept, Andover, 1993, 525 pages Price £45.95

This volume of Proceedings of the World Congress held in Bordeaux, France in 1992, is a mine of information. It covers the whole field of cardiac rehabilitation and provides up-to-date information on developments throughout the world, but particularly Europe, North America and Australia.

The contents are divided into 15 parts. A significant portion of the volume is devoted to cardiological aspects: risk stratification; viability of myocardium; exercise testing and training; ambulatory monitoring and silent ischaemia. Two parts are devoted to rehabilitation in chronic heart failure and in cardiac transplantation, but these dwell almost exclusively on the physiological aspects. The parts on home and commu- nity-based programmes, psychological aspects, secondary prevention and the eco- nomics of rehabilitation are particularly good but comparatively brief. The discussions of approaches to patient and family education are excellent. The part on return to work is brief, comprising only two chapters, the first of which, the rehabilitation of professional aviators, is rather esoteric. The scant cover- age of quality of life issues is disappointing.

Overall, this book is to be commended. There is something of interest for everyone involved in cardiac rehabilitation.

IDA VID R THOMPSON BSc, MA, PhD, RGN, RMN, ONC, FRCN

Resuscitation handbook Peter J. F. Baskett Wolfe Publishing, an Imprint of Mosby- Year Book Europe, Aylesford, Kent 1993, 2nd edn, Price £14.95

This is a disappointing book. It sets out to cover cardiac life support, trauma life sup-

port, paediatric resuscitation, pain relief and training requirements, but struggles through- out to find the right level and structure. In places it is over-simplistic and superficial yet in others complex.

The introduction consists of a cluster of important subjects (causes ofcardio-respira- tory arrest; cases most susceptible to resusci- tation; cerebral survival times; patients who should not be resuscitated; infection haz- ards; definitions of death). The grouping of these subjects in an introduction and the scant way in which each is addressed does little to enlighten a reader attempting to understand any of the areas, as those subjects alluded to are not developed further within the book, leaving the reader with a brief inadequate explanation of some very com- plex issues. Whilst I recognise, for example, that I hold a specific interest in the subject of law and ethics, I am sure most readers would be ill served by less than 180 words as an analysis of the factors contributing to making decisions about patients who should n o t be resuscitated.

For me the book really fails to work on two levels: predominantly it fails as a resource or reference work - there is no demonstration of the debate which exists in this field and the text lacks references throughout (a short reading list appears at the end of the book). The interested reader is left asking what evidence supports the approaches to practice recommended.

It seems the reader is to adopt a stance of unquestioning acceptance, one which I am sure medical and nursing staff of the 1990s would have difficulty with.

The book also has inadequacies as a 'How to do it' manual as there are some important omissions, such as failure to advise removal of glycerlytrinitrate (GTN) patches prior to defibrillation, and despite stating that the importance of early defibril- lation cannot be overemphasised it does n o t

go to great lengths to get this message across.

The structure of the book, as a whole and of individual chapters, does not con- tribute to ease in adoption of basic or first line techniques, for example mouth- to- mouth and mouth-to-mask resuscitation techniques appear after explanations of the pharyngo-tracheal lumen airway use of the fibre optic laryngoscope and defibrillation appears after discussion on open chest car- diac massage, extra corporeal circulation and intra-aortic counterpulsation.

If early defibrillation and ventilation are to be encouraged then structuring of the text should attempt to reflect this ideal.

Given that the European Resuscitation Council set out to review comprehensively the evidence justifying existing recommen- dations for resuscitation and to place emphasis on minimising delay in delivering

Intensive and Critical Care Nursing (1995) I 1 ,56-57 © 1995 Pearson Professional Ltd

Book Reviews 57

defibrillation shocks (British Medical

Journal 1993; 306: 1589), one will be disap- pointed that a book by a member o f the

European Resuscitation Counci l places little emphasis on these aims.

Finally, the feature o f this book which I feel will alienate many readers is the section headed Training Requirements . This sec- t ion consists o f a chart wi th a series o f pro- cedures d o w n one axis and a list o f person- nel across the other - a series o f ticks and crosses are placed across the chart to suggest, in the author 's view, the personnel w h o should be taught the skill. N o rationale is provided for this allocation o f ticks and crosses. I can see little place for such a chart nor can I imagine who would benefit from it.

Overall this is a book which fails to

approach the level o f the American Heart Association Advanced Cardiac Life Support Manual (1987) and one which 1 would find difficult to recommend.

CLAIRE YOUNG

MA, RGN, DipN, D1pN Ed, ICU cert.

A manual of renal transplantation Richard D . I . Allen and Jeremy R. Chapman Edward Arnold, London

This book is a much needed, concise, well written overview of renal transplantation and

associated subjects. It is precisely what it sets

out to be - a concise working guide to prac- rice. It would act as an introduction to renal

transplantation and as a reference for the prac-

titioners. Although written by doctors it is not aimed at a purely medical audience. It is

immensely readable with the contents being

well laid out. It displays research (very up- to-

date) and materials in graphic form weI1 and

also very good use ofradiological images.

I like some o f the ' f low charts' which

show clearly the routes o f treatment

options. Whilst some o f the text may be

more relevant to doctors, any nurse or asso-

ciated professional working wi th renal transplant patients would find this an excel-

lent source of informarion.

My criticisms are that there is not

enough ment ion o f effects on the family and

some o f the references are obviously

Australian and not available/suitable to the UK. Whilst the further reading lists at the

end o f each chapter are useful, again they

are rather limited. There is virtually no dis- cussion about nursing input or care and, as

such, I could not r ecommend it as a resource for identifying nursing problems

and p lanning/ implement ing care.

Despite these drawbacks, overall I found it informative and a book which no renal

umt/ transplant unit should be without .