Global Anaesthesia

Highly Commended, BMA Medical Book Awards 2015In 2008, Paul Farmer and Jim Yong Kim described global surgery as the "neglected stepchild" of healthcare, and now leaders from around the world are working to redefine it as a human right through the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery. In order to help advance global surgery and anesthesia as a public

The Oxford Specialist Handbook of Global Anaesthesia is a key reference for anaesthetists working in environments with scarce resources. Written by international experts in administering anaesthesia in emergency settings across the globe, it's a portable, easy-to-read guide to the provision of safe anaesthesia in difficult environments.

Among all the great discoveries and inventions of the nineteenth century, few offer us a more fascinating insight into Victorian society than the discovery of anaesthesia. Now considered to be one of the greatest inventions for humanity since the printing press, anaesthesia offered pain-free operations, childbirth with reduced suffering, and instant access to the world beyond consciousness. And yet, upon its introduction, Victorian medics, moralists, clergymen, and scientists, were plunged into turmoil. This vivid and engaging account of the early days of anaesthesia unravels some key moments in medical history: from Humphry Davy's early experiments with nitrous oxide and the dramas that drove the discovery of ether anaesthesia in America, to the outrage provoked by Queen Victoria's use of chloroform during the birth of Prince Leopold. And there are grisly ones too: frequent deaths, and even notorious murders. Interweaved throughout the story, a fascinating social change is revealed. For anaesthesia caused the Victorians to rethink concepts of pain, sexuality, and the links between mind and body. From this turmoil, a profound change in attitudes began to be realised, as the view that physical suffering could, and should, be prevented permeated through society, most tellingly at first in prisons and schools where pain was used as a method of social control. In this way, the discovery of anaesthesia left not only a medical and scientific legacy that changed the world, but a compassionate one too.

Essential Surgery is part of a nine volume series for Disease Control Priorities which focuses on health interventions intended to reduce morbidity and mortality. The Essential Surgery volume focuses on four key aspects including global financial responsibility, emergency procedures, essential services organization and cost analysis.

“This brilliantly assembled expert compendium provides a much-needed guide for the practical application of anesthesiology in medical practice in the most bereft underdeveloped and violence-afflicted regions of the globe.” —Seymour Topping, Professor Emeritus of International Journalism, Columbia University This is a comprehensive guide to the role of anesthesiologists in medical missions. In their capacity as perioperative physicians, anesthesiologists improve the safety and efficacy of surgical interventions for underserved patients in low- and middle-income countries around the world. Contributions from international experts in global health provide essential historical context, practical medical and surgical considerations for planning missions, and scenarios of “on the ground” implementation of care. The final section considers anesthesiology education in the context of global health. This is an encompassing and eye-opening resource for trainees and physicians considering participating in a medical mission and students and faculty of global health.

This is a comprehensive and authoritative presentation of total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) and target controlled infusion (TCI). The editors’ international reputation has enabled them to recruit leading experts from around the world to write single-author chapters in their area of expertise. Total Intravenous Anesthesia and Target Controlled Infusions is the first multi-disciplinary, globally authored volume on the topic. Providing a single source of information on all aspects of TIVA and TCI, from pharmacologic modeling and the pharmacology of intravenous anesthetic drugs to practical considerations in the clinical setting and the requirements of special populations, Total Intravenous Anesthesia and Target Controlled Infusions examines the debate about the risks and advantages of TIVA, analyze outcome studies, and provides guidance on creating a curriculum to teach TIVA and TCI.

What do anaesthetists do? How does anaesthesia work? What are the risks? And how does the anaesthetist know if you are really asleep? Anaesthesia is a mysterious and sometimes threatening process. In this Very Short Introduction, Aidan O'Donnell takes the reader on a tour through the whole of the modern anaesthetic practice. He begins by explaining general anaesthesia: what it is, how it is produced, and how it differs from natural sleep and other forms of unconsciousness. He goes on to consider the main categories of anaesthetic drugs, including anaesthetic vapours, intravenous agents, muscle relaxants, and analgesics, together with explanations of how they work and what their purpose is. Set against the historical background of anaesthetic and surgical practice, O'Donnell examines the large role anaesthetists play in specialised areas such as intensive care medicine, pain medicine, and childbirth; and finally, he considers the risks of anaesthesia, putting in to context that anaesthesia is a very safe process. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.