Alexander's Care of the Patient in Surgery

AORN Journal, May, 2008 by Mary Jane Edwards

Alexander's Care of the Patient in Surgery

13th edition

Jane C. Rothrock, ed

Mosby, 2007, 1280 pages

$93.95 hardcover

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If a perioperative professional could chose only one reference, this book would be the one. Alexander's has been a standard perioperative reference for more than 60 years, and the 13th edition incorporates exciting additions in a refreshed form.

The comprehensive information is presented in a user-friendly format. This edition is divided into three units

* Foundations of Practice,

* Surgical Interventions, and

* Special Considerations.

The chapters in each unit are coherent, relevant, and inherently useful. As in previous editions, each chapter incorporates four valuable features:

* Best Practices,

* Research Highlights,

* Sample Plans of Care, and

* Patient and Family Education. Relevant illustrations, photographs and charts are scattered throughout each chapter and the references at the end of each chapter are current and purposeful.

The clinical chapters include the Surgical Pharmacology, Patient Safety, and History Box features found in prior editions of the book. The History Box features in chapter seven detail surgical progress during the past two decades, from the introduction of laparoscopic surgery in 1987 to the advent of robotics in 1991. Kay Ball, RN, BSN, MSA, CNOR, FAAN, the author of this chapter, shares her expertise in all aspects of endoscopic minimally invasive surgery and her knowledge of various surgical energies, such as lasers, electrosurgery, ultrasonic devices, hydrodissection, and cryosurgery.

The specific surgical procedures highlighted in each specialty chapter present procedural considerations, such as patient positioning and instrumentation, coupled with the step-by-step surgical procedures, from skin marking to dressing application. Even the most seasoned perioperative professional will find a refresher on a particular procedure, position, or closure technique.

The authors address key health care industry concerns, such as the consistent integration of patient and family education and comprehensive discharge planning. They also address emergency preparedness and bioterrorism from the perspectives of patient and environmental safety, infection prevention and control in the perioperative setting, and trauma surgery.

Two online supplemental tracks are available, one for students and the other for instructors. These include narrated animations, printable patient and family education tables, and surgical pharmacology tables. In less than five minutes, readers can easily register for these online resources as supplements to this exceptional text.

It was a privilege to review this perioperative classic. After reading this text, receptive novices will begin to appreciate the sheer wonder of surgery and the tremendous responsibilities that guide most perioperative veterans in each patient encounter. All readers, experienced and new to the profession, will gain a pragmatic education through their study of this book.

This book is available from http://www.aornbookstore.org.

MARY JANE EDWARDS

RN, CNOR, FACHE

DELOITTE CONSULTING LLP

MCLEAN, VA