The Complete Recovery Room Book

Rev. of: The complete recovery room book / Anthea Hatfield, Michael Tronson. 4th ed. 2009.

The care that a patient receives in the first hours after surgery is crucial to minimizing the risk of complications such as heart attacks, pneumonia, and blood clots. As the patient awakes from their drug-induced coma, it takes time for them to metabolize and excrete these drugs, during which period they remain unable to care for themselves, and at increased risk of harm. The recovery room staff must manage both comatose and physiologically unstable patients, and deal with the immediate post-operative care of surgical patients. The fifth edition of this popular book provides nurses, surgeons and anaesthetists with clear guidance on how to manage day-to-day problems and how to make difficult decisions. Previous editions of this book have established it as the definitive guide to setting-up, equipping, staffing, and administering an acute care unit. It includes basic science such as physiology and pharmacology, specific symptoms including pain and vomiting, and has chapters devoted to the unique post-operative needs of individual types of surgery. This new edition brings this important text up to date and new drugs and techniques for monitoring are described. A new section looks ahead to the future development and design of recovery rooms and how they can contribute to patient well being.

The care that a patient receives in the first hours after surgery is crucial to minimizing the risk of complications. The recovery room staff must manage both comatose and physiologically unstable patients, and deal with the immediate post-operative care of surgical patients. The Complete Recovery Room Book, Sixth edition, provides nurses, surgeons, and anaesthetists with up-to-date guidance and practical tips on the post-operative management of patients. Over 30 chapters, this resource covers key aspects of recovery room management from setting-up, monitoring and equipment, and managing symptoms as well as clear and concise explanations of physiology and pharmacology. Specific chapters address the unique post-operative needs of individual types of surgery and patient groups. Practical tips and short aphorisms are offered throughout the text to help retain practical information.

There's a storm brewing in the quiet town of Litchfield. A whirlwind of media attention, political debate, and anger is about to sweep through and hold the fate of three women captive. In the eye of the storm are sixteen-year-old Clara Mahoney, a lonesome girl living in a family strained by autism; Pia Fernandez, a battered wife who wants only to escape her abusive husband; and, Loren Elliot, a forty-three-year-old who can barely make ends meet with two kids in college and a husband who just lost his job. Though these women are very different, they have a great deal in common. They are each unexpectedly pregnant, scared, and in positions where they cannot devote themselves to a child. And, they all have appointments at the same abortion clinic in Litchfield. But getting there won't be easy. Anti-choice forces-headed by a vain socialite and a self-indulgent priest-are mounting a demonstration against the clinic. Can these desperate women brave the chaos? Or will they let the public dictate their private decisions? An easy read that raises hard questions and then answers them in a compelling way, The Recovery Room is a book every woman should read.

Recovery from surgery and anesthesia is a very important subject about which little has been written. The recovery room links the operating room to the wards, and immediate postoperative care is provided for patients as they regain consciousness after anesthesia. In this book, the authors provide practical advice and theoretical information to enable those working in the recovery rooms to make the transition from anesthesia to consciousness as easy as possible for their patients. The book is divided into three sections: setting up a recovery room, including equipment, staffing and infection control; patient care in the recovery room, including routine management of patients with special needs, and dealing with emergencies; and material for further study and teaching. An appendix contains useful data for reference. The text is also cross-referenced for ease of access to information.

The Complete Recovery Room Book, Sixth edition is an essential resource for health care professionals involved in post-operative care.