Book review: Critical Care Ultrasound Manual

By Anthony McLean and Stephen Huang Churchill Livingstone, October 2012, 208 pp, e74

This is a concise step-by-step guide on the assessment of ultrasounds. Its aim is to  train critical care physicians in applying Rapid Assessment by Cardiac Echo (RACE) and Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST) to sonography principles. The focus is on helping readers to obtain rapid practical information to assist management decisions. The user-friendly layout is further enhanced by explanatory diagrams and ultrasound images which help with the learning experience. Also included is a DVD showing video clips of procedures cross-referenced in the book assisting the reader in comprehending the content covered in the manual. Practical tips and cautions stand out in highlighted boxes. Multiple choice questions at the end of each chapter allow readers to analyse what they have learnt. The appendices provide a checklist to assist interpretation of transthoracic echocardiogram in a systematic way. A chapter on Doppler principles help those who wish to prepare the way for Doppler measurements.

ELSEVIERwww.elsevier.com