Basics of Anesthesia: with Evolve Website (Stoelting, Basics of Anesthesia: with Evolve Website)

• Comprehensive coverage of the basic science and clinical topics in anesthesiology
• Includes pathophysiology, pharmacology, regional anesthesia, anesthetic management, and special problems and patient groups
• Numerous figures and tables throughout the book condense complex material for easier retention
• Concise writing style facilitates learning and review of content

• Now in full color throughout
• All chapters rigorously updated to reflect the latest advances in practice
• New Topics: Approach to learning Anesthesia, Medical Informatics, Basic Cardiopulmonary Physiology, Hemostasis, Congenital Heart Disease, Trauma, Bioterrorism, Medical Direction in the Operating Room, and more

The text, like the field, is technically based and is not light reading -- in that respect, the title (as well as the book's nickname outside of Indiana as "Baby Miller") may be somewhat misleading to people who may be lured into the false hope of expecting to easily learn the essentials of a very complex medical specialty. Face it -- there is no "Anesthesiology for Dummies" textbook, and there is no *easy* way to learn everything that there is to know to understand the specialty of anesthesiology. Although this book does not provide in-depth coverage of any specific topics, and it is not highly referenced, it does nevertheless provide all of the basic science information that is necessary to provide a rock-solid foundation upon which to build one's clinical knowledge. In that respect, this is a truly *outstanding* introductory textbook.

I bought the first edition of this book as a 3rd year medical student on my anesthesia clerkship. In the course of my anesthesia residency, I bought *three* copies of the second edition of this textbook. As one progresses to various levels of proficiency in anesthesiology, this book will remain a valuable resource, albeit for different reasons. I now have many copies of this book in my library, each of which have been highlighted with different objectives in mind:

This textbook has the highest per page density of examination questions for the In-Service/ABA Written Exams of any textbook in print. I memorized the first edition of this book as a 3rd year medical student for my anesthesia clerkship. I read the second edition of this book as a CBY intern with only 10 days of anesthesiology residency training and scored in the 95th percentile of CBY-level residents on the exam. As a resident you should own a copy of this book and skim through it after each of your in-service exams, highlighting examination questions for later review. After doing this for 4 years you'll have a very consise compendium of written board examination questions. Passing the written boards isn't as hard as many people think. Hint, hint.

The book also provides a very concise review of important facts for the practicing anesthesiologist who wants to review the field in a very time-efficient manner. In this regard, it would also be very helpful to a board certified anesthesiologist who is looking for a concise but thorough review of the basic foundations of anesthetic practice, perhaps for studying for the CDQ exam.

This book is well-recommended for the beginning resident in anesthesiology. It is no substitute for reference texts such as Miller and Barash, which become significantly more valuable to an anesthesiology trainee as their knowledge of the specialty begins to blossom.

I would advise against the recommendation of the reviewer from Sacramento who advises avoiding this book to save for a copy of Miller or Barash. You need to buy this book in addition to buying Miller AND Barash. The Miller and Barash reference texts are too detailed and overwhelming for the novice anesthesiology trainee, and finding basic information in them would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. In contrast, this text provides a very brief, and concise yet very dense presentation of information. If you read this text and find youself struggling through an unreadable collection of disjointed facts, maybe anesthesia isn't for you. People who are successful in the speciality love this book.


Best anesthesia text for medical students   April 20, 2004
18 out of 18 found this review helpful

This is the best text for medical students and first year residents that I have reviewed. It starts from "ground zero", presuming no knowledge of anesthesia, and builds upon a basic science background (especially in areas like pharmacology) to incorporate material learned during the first two years of medical school. My favorite part of the text are the pearls of knowledge that appear throughout the chapters to highlight information. These highlights include tables of important anatomical/ physiological facts, or drug dosing information; as well as extremely useful differential diagnoses for monitor failures or values outside of the normal range.


A must for the written boards   July 4, 2005
J. P. Wilson (Mt. Pleasant, SC United States)
14 out of 15 found this review helpful

Do yourself a favor when you start to REALLY study for the writtens. Take ALL of your other anesthesia books and stack them in the corner across the room. Then sit down and basically KNOW THIS BOOK FRONT TO BACK (about 4 or 5 different colors of highlighter is about right). Take a bunch of practice exams (the MGH workbook is pretty good) and you'll be ready to knock back a few cold ones the night after you smoke the writtens. Works for the Re-cert also.
For the orals check out Yao's "Problem-Oriented Patient Management".


GREAT!!   February 3, 2007
H. Alakkad
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

this book is not only an excellent one for R1 residents or medical students, it also highlights key points for senior residents as well! the UPDATED information written, which is evidence based (each paragraph is a result of a recent published paper) makes you CONFIDENT when you argue about any subject.. A MUST HAVE..


Excellent review source   August 1, 2007
W. B., Kalencki
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Whether you are studying for boards or a new anesthesiology resident, you will find Basics of Anesthesia useful.