This is a deceptively short but inclusive textbook written for the clinician who treats patients with fluid and electrolyte disturbances.
The book has seven chapters—on volume, tonicity, potassium, calcium, phosphate, magnesium, and acid-base balance. Each begins with a brief description of pathophysiology and principles of therapy followed by discussions of the precise management of various syndromes included in the differential diagnosis. There are numerous graphs and flow charts, many depicting the clinical course of patients undergoing therapy, such as the sequential change in sodium and water balance seen when treating a patient with the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion or the change in serum calcium and phosphorus levels in hypoparathyroid patients given a vitamin D preparation. There are some tables with differential diagnoses, others with lists of specific indications or contraindications of therapy, and several with current drug preparations that include generic and brand names as well as dosages.