Essential Guide to Acute Care. Nicola Cooper

Reviews of the Second Edition

      ‘At last! A book that addresses the needs of every junior doctor faced with the management of acutely sick patients. Concise and readable, its format allows the reader to absorb the principles of human physiology, and to apply them to everyday situations involving critically ill patients…unlike many texts, the authors have ignored the minutiae and concentrated on the most relevant and applicable information. Well illustrated throughout, the reader is guided towards establishing a logical approach to the ill patient. With self‐test questions relevant to each chapter, it becomes a valuable learning tool … if you have ever been faced with a sick patient, a blank mind and a room full of expectant faces, then this is the book for you.’ Acute Medicine Journal.

      ‘This small textbook offers a novel approach to understanding acute illness. Instead of offering the traditional how‐to‐manage‐a‐diagnosis format, it explains the underlying physiological changes in acute illness. This is vital because very few staff really understand basic concepts, such as how to give oxygen therapy effectively. The book is aimed at those who deal with the acutely ill patient … and aims to tell the reader ‘what you really need to know’ but cannot find in standard texts … The authors provide a simple and readable description of the underlying pathophysiology of acute illness – quite an achievement!’ British Journal of Anaesthesia.

      ‘This compact little text delivers a most refreshing and informative account of the basic science and the clinical practice of acute care. The chapters are designed to cover the common topics in acute care, and have been written to allow the reader to apply basic principles to clinical scenarios, and to address areas which are commonly troublesome or about which myths and misunderstandings are rife … case studies support each chapter and accurately reflect day to day clinical problems – the answers to these are very practical.’ Hospital Doctor.

‘This book should be made compulsory reading for all new doctors! I bought it after reading a review on the net and have never regretted it once, it certainly deserves the praised heaped on it so far. The book concentrates on explaining the altered physiology in illness and the science behind different interventions, like fluid therapy, oxygen, inotropes (for example, explaining the physics of each type of oxygen mask and hence their appropriate use in different situations) giving you the intellectual ammunition needed when asked to review that patient who ‘doesn't look right’ in the small hours of the morning. The section on blood gases is essential for those (like me) who struggle in their interpretation – this chapter, like all others, is followed by a great self‐assessment section with highly detailed explanations for all answers. Far removed from the more common protocol/algorithm‐based guidebooks on the market, this book will make you think more and understand more. Buy it’. Amazon reviewer.

      ‘Quite simply brilliant. I love this book and recommend it to everyone. It's the only book I've come across that really explains ABGs, fluid resus, inotropes, etc. It covers all the stuff you need to know that isn’t taught in medical school curricula. I actually lost my copy when someone borrowed it from me, but this book is so good I might just buy another one!’ Amazon reviewer.