Emergency Ultrasound

Media Review

CJEM 2003;5(5):365

Emergency Ultrasound. O.J. Ma, J.R. Mateer, editors. McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd. $170. 435 pp. ISBN 0-07-137417-5

This is the first book published in over 5 years that deals with emergency department ultrasound. Emergency Ultrasound is a first edition offering from McGraw-Hill. Its cover features the same familiar style as Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine: a Comprehensive Study Guide.¹ With few exceptions (e.g., pneumothorax), the book covers the full breadth of indications for bedside ultrasound. It aims to satisfy the needs of both the emergency physician beginning their use of ultrasound as well as the more experienced emergency sonographer.

Emergency Ultrasound starts off with chapters on starting your own ED ultrasound program, choosing a machine, and the physics of ultrasound. The rest of the chapters are divided based on specific indications, specific areas of the body, or specific patient groups (e.g., trauma, hepatobiliary, pediatric). This organization allows one to target reading to indications that are being used or planned in your own ED. Most chapters are divided into the following sections: clinical considerations, clinical indications, anatomic considerations, technique and normal ultrasound findings, common and emergent abnormalities, common variants and selected abnormalities, pitfalls, case studies. The text links well with the graphics. Most impressive are the number and quality of images. The chapters are well-referenced, providing jump-off points for further reading.

The amount of information may seem overwhelming, particularly to the beginner. Concentrating one's reading on the chapters dealing with the primary indications may not change this feeling. Specifically, the cardiac ultrasound chapter describes 8 transthoracic and 5 transesophageal views. Facility with all of these views is clearly not necessary when concentrating on the primary indications for emergency cardiac ultrasound. Although the book does a good job of describing technique for the various indications, it is obvious that no book can replace practical training.

Emergency departments with emergency ultrasound capability will find it extremely useful to have a copy of this book. Emergency physicians without the availability of bedside ultrasound may also find this book useful when trying to apply clinically the interpretation of an ultrasound technician. Finally, this book will definitely aid in the planning stages of an emergency ultrasound program.

Steven Socransky, MD
Emergency Department
Sudbury Regional Hospital
Sudbury, Ont.
admin@emsudbury.ca

Reference

• Tintinalli JE, Kelen GD, Stapczynski JS, editors. Emergency medicine: a comprehensive study guide. 5th ed. McGraw-Hill; 1999.