Reviewer: Edward Abraham, MD (University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine)
Description: This is the second edition of a book on surgery of the musculoskeletal system in adults.
Purpose: The aim is to present a user-friendly book with the most current surgical procedures by experienced orthopedic surgeons who are guided by prospective and randomized trial studies.
Audience: The audience is orthopedic and trauma surgeons and their trainees. The are fully qualified traumatologists. Emil H. Schemitsch, MD, FRCS (C), is the Richard Ivey Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery, University of Western Ontario, and Michael D. McKee, MD, FRCS (C), is Professor and Chair, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix. They are supported mainly by Canadian-based contributors, experienced in caring for patients with trauma-related problems. Most of these authors are members of the Canadian Orthopaedic Trauma Society (COTS), which is known for multicentric research work.
Features: Each of the 85 chapters covers a very specific diagnosis or issue involving upper and lower extremities, spine, pelvis, or acetabulum. Some general topics the book discusses are nonunions, malunion, compartment syndrome, perioperative care, and surgical approaches. Several new chapters in this edition include open reduction of the sternoclavicular joint, intramedullary clavicle fixation, application of reamer-irrigator-aspirator for bone graft harvesting, and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty. Each chapter relies on a bulleted format and is organized in a similar template consisting of indications, examination and imaging, surgical anatomy, positioning, exposure, procedure, and postoperative care and expected outcome. General references referred to as "Evidence" are briefly summarized. Color-coded sections of pearls of wisdom, key points, and potential pitfalls dominate each chapter. A few videos online supplement some chapters. The abundant line drawings, diagnostic and intraoperative images, and radiographs are of the highest quality. Some topics not included or stressed are pediatric trauma, fragility fractures, complications, and other surgical options for a given diagnosis. The consistent presentation of the chapters makes for easy and quick access, but at the risk of the book becoming a manual.
Assessment: This outstanding second edition is a major contribution to the field of orthopedic trauma. The highly qualified authors use evidence-based guidance to write their chapters. Another recent book, Harborview Illustrated Tips and Tricks in Fracture Surgery, 2nd edition, Henley et al. (Wolters Kluwer, 2019), written by trauma surgeons trained at Harborview Medical Center's trauma fellowship program, is a similar type of book that readers are advised to look into before committing to buying this one. Overall, I highly recommend this outstanding book to all orthopedic surgeons, trauma fellows, and orthopedic residents involved in the care of adults with orthopedic trauma. Medical libraries are highly advised to get this book as well.
