Fundamentals of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation is a basic manual of current methods written by a surgeon and an anesthesiologist who are pre-eminent in the field. The book is an excellent training monograph, presenting in 14 well-written chapters the anatomical, physical, and physiological basis of modern resuscitative techniques. The recognition of cardiopulmonary arrest, the fundamentals of airway management, drug therapy, and post-resuscitative care are discussed. The chapter on the organization and training of resuscitative teams will be particularly helpful to hospital administrators.
In spite of its overall excellence, several omissions bear comment. The authors do not discuss the absence of the pupillary response to light in cardiac arrest, the problem of when to perform a thoracotomy, the use of succinylcholine as an emergency drug, or the unique problems in resuscitation of the newborn. A list of available resuscitative equipment and a discussion of the logistic problems in times of catastrophe would be