From the reviews of the fourth edition:
“This is the fourth edition of a comprehensive textbook describing airway management techniques and technology. … Clinicians in anesthesiology, emergency medicine, critical care medicine, surgery, and acute care medicine who deal with airway management issues of patients on a daily basis are an appropriate audience for this work … . With its consistent editorial style, detailed presentation of new airway equipment, and excellent detail on the pediatric airway, this book upholds these high standards.” (David J. Dries, Doody’s Book Reviews, March, 2011)
“The fourth edition of Principles of Airway Management is a comprehensive text of all aspects of the modern-day practice. Each author has written 5 chapters, which results in a consistent presentation. The text is logically organized … . Principles of Airway Management is a wonderful contribution to the specialty of airway management and will have great appeal for anesthesiologists and other medical and paramedical personnel interested in the field and involved in the practice of modern airway management.” (Martin H. Dauber, Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 305 (20), May, 2011)
“The fourth edition of this book has changed greatly from the first edition published in 1988. … The three authors have each written five chapters. … serve as a useful reference for day-to-day practice, as well as a revision tool for trainees. … Overall, this book is an in-depth review of airway equipment, strategies and novel approaches. It is well written with excellent diagrams and commentary … . the book is valuable to anaesthetists and those with an interest in airway management throughout the world.” (M. Daunt, Anaesthesia, Vol. 66, 2011)
“For this fourth edition … each chapter was revised, updated and expanded. … The figures are improved by the addition of colour, and many illustrations have been added. … This bookis written well, richly illustrated, thoroughly referenced and easy to read. The authors give clear, evidence-based reasoning for their recommendations. Lists, boxes, tables, flow charts and illustrations are used effectively. … This concise and comprehensive review will be useful for all medical and paramedical health-care professionals who have to manage the airway.” (Rajkumar Rajendram and Riaz Khan, British Journal of Hospital Medicine, Vol. 73 (2), February, 2012)
“The fourth edition … is a comprehensive work covering virtually all aspects of the adult and pediatric airway that any professional can hope to learn from a textbook. … well-written. … up-to-date. …Novices and experts alike will gain insight into airway management by consulting this book. ... The book trikes the right balance between theoretical and technical information. …The authors offer the greatest extent of practical ‘how to’ information in a textbook, notably because of the numerous figures.” (Arnaud Robitaille, Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, Vol. 59, July, 2012)
3 Stars from Doody
This is the second edition of this softcover reviewtext of airway management. This book is intended to be acomprehensive review of airway management, including anatomy,equipment, algorithms, special and surgical techniques, andcomplications. It accomplishes its objectives very well and is farsuperior to the usual cursory textbook chapter on this subject. It isintended as a textbook for students and residents and as a review forattending physicians. Residents and attending physicians inanesthesiology, emergency medicine, and critical care will all findthis book very useful. The book contains a large number ofillustrations, photos, figures, and tables. In general, these areexcellent and complement the text very well. The table of contentsincludes chapters on all subjects of interest to physicians involved inairway management. It is well referenced and includes most or all ofthe important references in this important subject. This is anexcellent book. It covers the area of airway management in acomprehensive way that physicians in anesthesiology, emergencymedicine, and critical care will appreciate. It will be a valuableaddition to any practitioner's or department'slibrary.
Reviewer: David Dries, MSE, MD (Regions Hospital)
Description: This is the third edition of a reference describing airway management.
Purpose: Presented is a review of available information in the English literature on airway-related topics. This edition reflects many of the innovations in this area spanning the past five to 10 years.
Audience: Any practitioner with responsibility for airway management is an appropriate audience for this work. Authors are anesthesiologists with extensive experience in this field.
Features: Thirteen chapters and an index are included in approximately 500 pages of a handsome softbound book. Initial chapters describe fundamental resuscitation concerns and airway anatomy while later presentations include formal evaluation of the airway, management of the difficult airway, pediatric considerations and recent technical innovations with particular emphasis on the laryngeal mask airway. Chapters are presented in a readable style and complemented nicely with tables, black-and-white line drawings and black-and-white photographs. Each chapter contains an ample reference list with citations dating to within two to three years of publication. Citations reflect original work from primary journals. The table of contents lists only chapter topics. Excellent detail is provided in the index of 12 pages. Separate citation is made for figures and tables.
Assessment: This is a worthy reference for those in any specialty concerned with airway management. It is readable for the student as well as the senior practitioner. I am surprised that the publisher did not provide a hard cover version as this book should remain a valuable selection on a critical care or anesthesia reference shelf for years to come.
