Thoracic anesthesia rotation - textbook recommendations

[TortuousVein]

I heard one of the West books was good; is it "Pulmonary Pathophysiology: The Essentials"? Any other recs? Thanks

 

[deleted171991]

Are you still a student? If yes, just read the respective chapter from Morgan and Mikhail's Clinical Anesthesiology and you'll be more than fine. It's much less dry than West, and more pertinent to what you'll see.

Generally, as a med student, your best friend on an anesthesia rotation should be the Anesthesia Secrets book. If you know and understand everything in it already, color me impressed.

 

[TortuousVein]

I'm a resident now, haven't updated my status on studentdoctor

 

[deleted171991]

In that case, I would start by learning M&M's thoracic anesthesia chapter, and then I would read Barash or Miller if still hungry for knowledge. West is famous for explaining the details of pulmonary physiology (I don't know how good the pathophysiology book is), but it might be an overkill, especially for an overworked resident.

For my own purposes, I have found that I learn best starting from M&M + one or more handbooks (typically an Oxford first), then moving on to a textbook if needed (rarely). Long-term what sticks with me is usually the handbook stuff, because it requires less active learning (plus I can relax in the bathtub while reading), and one can acquire much more practical knowledge in a much shorter time. The bigger the textbook, the more noise I tend to find around the important stuff.

I am a 75th percentile ITE/written boards guy, so the top 25% might have better ideas. 🙂

 

[polar403]

Handbook: Practical Handbook of Thoracic Anesthesia - Phillip M. Hartigan (Editor)

Textbook: Principles and Practice of Anesthesia for Thoracic Surgery - Peter Slinger (Editor)

I wouldn't buy them for a one month rotation. Just look for them in your hospital library or online for reference.