For some time, trainees have been searching for a worthy alternative to the long outdated and out of print Burns: The First Five Days, which used to be supplied free by Smith and Nephew. This pocket sized, reference manual, seems to have fulfilled that role for those, not only covering a burn unit, but also A&E and ICU.
This second edition comprises 12 chapters, each of which is well referenced and prefaced with ‘Key Points’. The book itself covers the full spectrum of burn care, from admission criteria, assessment, resuscitation, wound care, sepsis and nutrition in both adults and children. There are also chapters on inhalation injury, electrical and chemical burns. The authors have also included some of the non-burn conditions, which may often be treated on a burn unit, such as toxic epidermal necrolysis syndrome. There are clear and simple line diagrams, tables, protocols and flow-charts to follow, as well as an appendix of abbreviations, reference values and equations.
The aim of the authors was to produce a summary of the practices of the Philadelphia Burn Unit, and as such, some of the facts and figures are from North America. Nevertheless, this book is a very worthwhile guide, which should prove useful to both medical and nursing staff alike.
