Clinical Manual of Emergency Pediatrics, Ellen F.Crain, Jeffrey C. Gershel (Eds.), 2010, ISBN: 978-0-5217-3687-9 S/B, £55.

This is a comprehensive text that details all possi-ble paediatric presentations to emergency and urgentcare. The layout of the chapters lends itself well toreading about specific presentations and will be aninvaluable text whilst revising for assessments andexaminations due to the structure of the book. Forthe day to day clinicians it may be a little hefty how-ever the chapters do include sections on differentialdiagnoses and diagnostic criteria in tabulated formthat guide the clinicians with diagnostic dilemmas.The focus on Emergency Department management

and admission/discharge criteria are useful to guidethe more junior clinicians in the ED but should alwaysbe used in conjunction with local policies in recogni-tion that this is a US text. This should become a coretext for those specialising in paediatric EmergencyMedicine, and will be a valuable resource for non-pae-diatricians wishing to expand their practice.

Samantha J. Brace RN MSc(Advanced Clinical Practitioner, Research Fellow)

Emergency Medicine Heart of EnglandNHS Foundation Trust

Warwick Clinical Trials UnitE-mail address: s.brace@warwick.ac.uk

doi:10.1016/j.ienj.2011.07.004

Paediatrics and Child Health, 3rd ed. With WileyDesk top edition, Mary Rudolf, Tim Lee, MalcolmLevene. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford. SB £39.99, ISBN:978-1-4051-9474-7

This is a very valuable text for practitioners work-ing predominantly with or spending a lot of time car-ing for and managing acutely ill children. The book isclearly set out and well signposted throughout, withcompetencies attached to each chapter to supportlearning. The unusual approach taken, of focusingon ‘symptoms and signs’ rather than ‘diseases’, aidsstrongly the practical focus of the book. The inclusionof ‘key points’ and ‘clues to..’ boxes usefully guidesthe reader to key facts that will support clinical deci-sion making and the use of colour, pictures, charts,text boxes and diagrams makes the content easilyaccessible.

However, this is not to suggest that the content isin any way superficial, since the book is in fact de-tailed and comprehensive in its coverage. The firstsection on child development is very useful particu-larly for colleagues with limited theoretical trainingin this area. This is built upon in the second section

with detailed coverage of the principles and practiceof assessment of children, including investigations.The third and largest section of the book takes aproblem based approach to exploring a wide rangeof conditions and disease processes and these arehelpfully organised into systems chapters. Thesechapters are highly practical in content and approach.A latter chapter devoted to emergency paediatricswill of course be a must for readers of this journal.For purchasers of this text, free access to many help-ful features is provided including an interactive onlinevideo demonstrating child examination technique isprovided along with many other helpful features. Allin all, while not the cheapest text, nonetheless thisis a book well worthy of purchase and a source whichis likely to be of wide benefit.

Alastair Gray MSc (Advanced Clinical NursingPractice), BSc (Hons), RN, RNT, DPSN

FFEN, FEN Board member, Senior Lecturer(Emergency & Advancing Practice), Course Director

Advancing Practice Course,Coventry University, England, UK

doi:10.1016/j.ienj.2011.06.002

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Advanced Paediatric Life Support: The PracticalApproach, fifth ed., Martin Samuels, Sue Wieteska(Eds.). Advanced Life Support Group/Wiley-Black-well (2011). Binders, 3- or 5-ring. 404 p., £44.99,ISBN: 978-1-4443-3059-5

The current APLS ‘bible’ has been completelyrevised and updated in light of new emerging clinical

practice in emergency paediatrics and the ILCORresuscitation guidelines 2010.

APLS courses have been running for the last18 years in the UK (and are now run internationally)with the aim of applying a structured approach tothe assessment and treatment of seriously ill andinjured children. A population who if we are truthfulinvokes anxiety in us all!

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It would be hard to better the previous 4th editionwhich has set the gold standard in assessing and treat-ing seriously ill and injured children throughout theUK in general and paediatric emergency depart-ments. . . but it has!

The 5th edition is designed to be used for coursedelegates in conjunction with the on line virtuallearning environment, which complements the 2 dayface to face course. It is however also a comprehen-sive resource on its own. For the first time ever, thereare now colour photographs and diagrams whichsignificantly visually enhances this valuable resource.New information covers an updated age related for-mulae for calculating weights in children more accu-rately. A completely new chapter covering humanfactors and covering important concepts in reducingand eliminating error has been included for the firsttime. Intranasal diamorphine is mentioned in the painmanagement chapter and FAST scanning is acknowl-edged in the practical procedures chapter in traumamanagement. These examples show how new andemerging knowledge and skills in emergency paediat-rics has been incorporated into this new edition.

While the evidence on which the treatment guide-lines is not referenced in this resource, it is madeclear that references are made available on the ALSGwebsite at www.alsg.org.

doi:10.1016/j.ienj.2011.07.004

I cannot recommend this new edition highlyenough; it is simply the gold standard in paediatricemergency care and very successfully presents apotentially bewildering depth and breadth of informa-tion about sick and injured children in a well struc-tured and accessible format. Anyone and everyonewho cares for sick or injured children and their fami-lies in their daily work should have access to thisresource and should access it frequently, this bookcan save lives!

I would urge you to ensure you have access to thisat work, or even better; purchase one yourself andread it regularly, the next time you are in resus witha child you will be glad that you did!

Rebecca Hoskins RN(child), BSc (Hons), MA (Ed),PGDip (Advanced Practice), FFEN

Nurse ConsultantEmergency Care, Trust Non Medical Prescribing Lead,

Emergency Department, Bristol Royal Infirmary,Bristol, UK

Fax: +44 117 3423570.

E-mail address: Rebecca.Hoskins@UHBristol.nhs.uk