Burn Unit: Saving Lives After the Flames
http://www.100md.com
《新英格兰医药杂志》
Burn Unit is a well-written, ingenious book on the cause of burns and the pathophysiology and clinical course of patients who have sustained severe burn injury. The author describes the "burn disease" through the clinical care of two patients: one had a rather small, partial-thickness injury of 10 percent of the body that involved the face and hands, and the other had a moderately severe burn of 35 percent and required skin grafting of the face and upper extremities.
Each chapter describes the clinical care of the two patients and includes the thoughts and concerns of family members as well as those of the members of the burn team. These personal aspects are preceded or followed by detailed and accurate descriptions of the history and pathophysiology of resuscitation after burn shock, infection, wound healing, and other topics. These sections are written informally, but the details are accurate, informative, and enjoyable to read, and they flow smoothly from the care of the two patients to the science of burn disease.
Although Burn Unit describes care at the Burn and Trauma Center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, the author repeatedly describes the controversies associated with the management of the burn injuries and the alternatives to the treatment that each patient received.
This is not a "burn survivor" book but, rather, a well-written textbook on burn injuries. Because the information is presented in an understandable, detailed way, it would be well worth reading not only by all members of a burn team but also by burn victims and their families.
The history of burns, as presented here, is remarkably detailed and comprehensive, and this alone makes the book worth reading. Essentially, Burn Unit is a textbook written from the perspectives of the patient, the family, and the members of the burn team. It should become required reading for new as well as experienced burn specialists.
Glenn D. Warden, M.D.
Shriners Hospital for Children
Cincinnati, OH 45229(By Barbara Ravage. 320 pp)
Each chapter describes the clinical care of the two patients and includes the thoughts and concerns of family members as well as those of the members of the burn team. These personal aspects are preceded or followed by detailed and accurate descriptions of the history and pathophysiology of resuscitation after burn shock, infection, wound healing, and other topics. These sections are written informally, but the details are accurate, informative, and enjoyable to read, and they flow smoothly from the care of the two patients to the science of burn disease.
Although Burn Unit describes care at the Burn and Trauma Center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, the author repeatedly describes the controversies associated with the management of the burn injuries and the alternatives to the treatment that each patient received.
This is not a "burn survivor" book but, rather, a well-written textbook on burn injuries. Because the information is presented in an understandable, detailed way, it would be well worth reading not only by all members of a burn team but also by burn victims and their families.
The history of burns, as presented here, is remarkably detailed and comprehensive, and this alone makes the book worth reading. Essentially, Burn Unit is a textbook written from the perspectives of the patient, the family, and the members of the burn team. It should become required reading for new as well as experienced burn specialists.
Glenn D. Warden, M.D.
Shriners Hospital for Children
Cincinnati, OH 45229(By Barbara Ravage. 320 pp)