Book Review

How to Survive in Anaesthetics(2nd Edition)Neville Robinson and George Hall

BMJ Books 2002

The first weeks of anaesthetic training

can be a daunting time. Much of the

core information is not common

to other specialities, and there is a

heavy emphasis on dusty memories of

undergraduate science. Fortunately, the

majority of trainees are guided through

this period by a senior anaesthetist who

can help them distinguish the �wood

from the trees�. Robinson and Hall

have aimed their book at just these

embryonic anaesthetists, and the fact

that it has survived to a second edition

is either a mark of its popularity, or

evidence of the need to assuage fear by

book buying. The question is, to what

extent does it achieve its intentions?

The book contains a wealth of factual

and practical advice for an anaesthetic

novice. It is sensibly structured into

three sections, dealing with basic anaes-

thetic equipment and skills, critical

incidents, and outlines of the issues in

anaesthetizing for some common oper-

ations. The content, though not

exhaustive, is on the whole, relevant

to its audience. Important lists ⁄ algo-

rithms are highlighted in coloured

boxes, and this goes some way to

improving clarity, although less import-

ant facts sometimes find themselves

being given undeserved prominence.

There is no doubt that this book is a

personal view of anaesthetics. It has a

paternalistic approach to the reader,

and a prosaic style. There is an

emphasis on clinical wisdom over

evidence-based practice, which is in

no way a bad thing in our changing

training climate. However, since the

publication of the first edition in 1997,

several other publications compete for

the attention of new trainees. Not least

of these is the Oxford Handbook of

Anaesthetics. For my money, this offers

a more accessible and rigorous source

of information, and has the benefit of

providing a useful quick reference for

years to come.

I am sure How To Survive in Anaes-

thesia will remain popular, but it is a pity

that the revised edition has not taken

the opportunity to decide the role it is

aiming to fulfil. It isn’t a lean pocket

reference book; it isn’t an early text-

book either. If anything it is an attempt

to impart the attitudes, rather than the

knowledge of anaesthetic practice. For

this I would recommend it, but I can’t

help but feel this is best acquired from

those who train new SHOs, and not

from a book.

Richard Walker & Tasneem Ali

SpRs in Anaesthesia,

Derriford Hospital, Plymouth

Anaesthesia, 2003, 58, page 106.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................

106 � 2003 Blackwell Publishing Ltd