Anaesthesia VSI

My first book, Anaesthesia: a Very Short Introduction, was published in April 2012. It is the 313th title in the Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press. If you can’t find it in your local bookstore, it can be ordered online, e.g. at the Book Depository. It is also available for Kindle (UK readers click here), and for other platforms (click here) A sample chapter can be viewed here. If you are considering recommending the book to your students, OUP will send you a free inspection copy if you click on the link from their website.

Anaesthesia VSI

The book is a short overview of current anaesthetic practice, aimed at the interested non-specialist reader. It begins with a description of the state of general anaesthesia: what it is, how it is produced, and how it differs from natural sleep and other forms of unconsciousness. It describes the providers of anaesthesia; frequently doctors, but not always. It introduces the basics of anaesthetic equipment: facemasks, breathing equipment, tracheal tubes and ventilators.

The main categories of anaesthetic drugs are covered, including anaesthetic vapours, intravenous agents, muscle relaxants, and analgesics, together with explanations of how they work and what their purpose is. Local and regional anaesthetic techniques, such as epidural analgesia, are explained. Anaesthetists have a large role to play in specialised areas such as Intensive Care Medicine, Pain Medicine and childbirth. Finally, the book contains a detailed chapter about the risks of anaesthesia and sets these in context: anaesthesia is a very safe process.

Where appropriate, the text is set against the historical background of anaesthetic and surgical practice. The book will be of interest to any reader curious about anaesthetic practice, and I hope that students from a medical, nursing, anaesthetic technician or midwifery background will also find it useful. People who may wish to know more about their own anaesthetic will find much of interest.

If you want to know more about this book, please click here, or send me an email: aidanmark@doctors.org.uk.

Reviews

The first review of the book was published in the March 2013 issue of the medical journal Anaesthesia. The reviewer writes:

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Anaesthesia: A Very Short Introduction. I believe that it has presented me with an adequate basic understanding of the world of anaesthesia, whilst keeping me engaged and interested, and I would definitely recommend it to others interested in the subject.

The second review was published in the March 2013 issue of the Bulletin of the Royal College of Anaesthetists. The reviewer writes:

In writing this review I was determined to find the patient perspective but then found that it is at the heart of the book.

The third review appeared in the March 2013 issue of New Zealand Anaesthesia, the newsletter of the New Zealand Society of Anaesthetists. The reviewer writes:

Anaesthesia: A Very Short Introduction would be a very good book to have in any school library or careers office.

The fourth review appeared in the April 2013 edition of the British Journal of Anaesthesia, which you can read here. The reviewers write:

The book is understandable and enjoyable to read. However, despite this apparent simplicity, there is a surprising amount of detailed, current information conveyed to the reader.

The book has an aggregate review of 4.8/5 on Amazon.co.uk, based on 11 reviews; and an aggregate of 3.96/5 on Goodreads.com, based on 26 reviews.

Media Interest

In September 2012 I was interviewed by Simon Morton for the programme This Way Up on Radio New Zealand National. You can hear the full podcast here.

In August 2012 I was interviewed by journalist Margo White for The Listener magazine here in New Zealand. You can read the full interview here.

In February 2016, Dr. Roger Hanson wrote an article for the Manawatu Standard, which was based on the contents of the book. You can read the full article here.

Broken Links on Royal College Website

Since the book was published, the Royal College of Anaesthetists has extensively updated its website. As a result of this, three of the links to the College website given in the Further Reading section are broken. The back issues of the College Bulletin have been moved to a different location. Future reprints of the book will correct the links, but the broken links are as follows:

• Chapter 7: The report of my day at the veterinary hospital, “A Trip to the Vet”, can be read here.
• Chapter 8: The complete list of patient leaflets from the College about risk of all types, including awareness and death, can be found here.
• The editorial article on awareness, “I will be asleep, won’t I, doctor?” can be read here.