BOOK AND MEDIA REVIEWS
                                       In family medicine, we are familiar with  children while combining easy-to-read tables 
                                    multiple narratives, often the same two as  with illustrations to provide practical advice 
                                    this book exposes. We are trained from medi-                          in the management of children in the emer-
                                    cal school in the scientific medical progress                         gency department. The book is organized into 
                                    narrative (which the majority of our fellow stu-                      29 well-illustrated sections based on anatomy 
                                    dents follow), but then—especially from our  and body system, each encompassing a spe-
                                    patients and in our residencies—we must con-                          cific topic or emergency. The chapters within 
                                    front messy human problems that are more  each section provide specific information on a 
                                    easily approached with a social science narra-                        medical diagnosis or topic. Overall, there are 
                                    tive. This book clearly understands the impor-                        171 chapters providing pertinent, concise in-
                                    tance of both narratives and is a bold attempt                        formation in diagnosing and treating common 
                                    to bring them together.                                               and uncommon pediatric disorders. Included 
                                       For me, it didn’t quite work. Dow, the Afri-                       are discussions on the differences in adult and 
                                    can, is the first author and probably gave us                         pediatric diagnosis and management for emer-
                                    the title, but the complexities of the cultural                       gencies in various body systems. The dermatol-
                                    world she inhabits seem to remain obscure to                          ogy and infectious disease chapters, with their 
                                    Essex and go uncommented upon. Essex, the  graphic and visual comparisons of common pe-
                                    American, ends up setting the tone by what  diatric rashes, are exceptional and provide an 
                                    he does choose to comment on and therefore  additional dimension to the text and act as an 
                                    seems to have the last word. But for those who                        additional reference source. The resuscitation 
                                    occupy both narratives, Dow’s is the unchal-                          section provides a concise review of neonatal 
                                    lenged one, and she has the last word.                                and pediatric resuscitation, shock, airway, and 
                                    Raymond Downing, MD                                                   cardiac management with supplemental tuto-
                                    Department of Family Medicine                                         rials on specific airway techniques, fluid access, 
                                    Moi University School of Medicine                                     and mechanical ventilation. 
                                    Eldoret, Kenya                                                           The text and its content are well organized 
                                                                                                          and are written in a concise way, making this 
                                                                                                          text a manageable reference or review of the 
                                    A Practical Guide to Pediatric                                        material. Each chapter provides a practical ap-
                                    Emergency Medicine                                                    proach to common emergencies by body sys-
                                    N. Ewen Amieva-Wang, ed.                                              tem, providing expert clinical experience and 
                                    New York, Cambridge University Press, 2011, 847 pp., $99,             noting the differences in adult and pediatric 
                                    hardcover.                                                            disease process and management. Boxes and 
                                                                       This book review  tables are systematically distributed through-
                                                                       is written from the  out the chapters, providing important clinical 
                                                                       unique perspectives  algorithms, protocols, and guidelines. 
                                                                       of a family physician                 Other beneficial features are the key facts, 
                                                                       with 27 years of prac-             special considerations, and pearls and pitfalls 
                                                                       tice experience and  highlighted in the chapter, providing rapid ac-
                                                                       an emergency medi-                 cess to vital knowledge in emergency situa-
                                                                       cine physician with  tions. There are tutorials that acknowledge 
                                                                       12 years of practice  the skills physicians must develop and cover 
                                                                       experience, who both               examples such as pediatric imaging, pediatric 
                                                                       agree that children  EKG interpretation, procedural sedation, and 
                                                                       are not small adults.              procedures that make this text a beneficial 
                                       This book provides the practical expertise  reference to the self-learner. Written by pedi-
                                    needed for caring for the pediatric patient by                        atric and emergency medicine specialists and 
                                    providing a pediatric-specific approach to nu-                        subspecialty experts, expert viewpoints and 
                                    merous medical conditions with age-based dif-                         clinical approaches are presented. All of this 
                                    ferential diagnosis. It contains useful tutorials,                    information augments the text. 
                                    reference tables, and a dermatology section                              The book covers a wide range of pediatric 
                                    that stands out as a useful review and serves                         emergency topics, providing a practical guide 
                                    as a reference for the bedside teaching of stu-                       on significant information needed to diagnose 
                                    dents and residents.                                                  and treat a wide variety of pediatric disorders. 
                                       The aim of this book is to summarize the  Through the emphasis on the age-based dif-
                                    common diseases and conditions affecting  ferential diagnosis, the physician caring for 
                                                                                                          the pediatric patient is less likely to miss the 
                      FAMILY MEDICINE	                                                                                                  VOL.	44,	NO.	9	•	OCTOBER	2012                        665
                 BOOK AND MEDIA REVIEWS
                           diagnosis, especially through the consistent  online version, providing a DVD demonstrat-
                           emphasis on how the pediatric and adult pa-          ing and narrating the common procedures 
                           tient differ. It is clinically relevant, describ-    discussed and the development of a mobile 
                           ing how pediatric patients are managed on a  application as a handbook companion to the 
                           daily basis.                                         text that includes tables, diagrams, and photos. 
                              In addition to the sections discussing the  These additions would strongly supplement 
                           numerous emergencies one can encounter,  the benefits of this valuable resource.   
                           there are sections dedicated to specific pedi-         If you were seeking a textbook as a defini-
                           atric populations, including the diagnosis and       tive reference for pediatric emergency medi-
                           management of the neonate, adolescent, and  cine, then this book is not for you. However, 
                           medically complex children. Throughout each          it is highly readable and manageable for the 
                           section there are useful tutorials varying from      reader that has a basic knowledge of pediatric 
                           procedures, management principles, and phar-         or emergency medicine; it provides a concise 
                           maceutical treatment and complications that  emphasis on specific topics in an age-based 
                           are very useful to the physician managing the        differential diagnosis and treatment plan. It is 
                           pediatric patient. The text is well worth the        a solid educational resource that can be used 
                           price paid.                                          by both community and academic emergency 
                              We found the tutorials, high-quality pictures,    room physicians.
                           and tables on specific medical topics some of        George D. Harris, MD, MS
                           the most beneficial components of the book.  Stefanie R. Ellison, MD
                           This text will also serve well as a ready refer-     University of Missouri-Kansas City School  
                           ence for clinical questions, teaching, and review    of Medicine
                           of pediatric emergency medicine.
                              The areas in which this text could be en-
                           hanced would be having a fully searchable 
                             Reviewers interested in writing reviews for publication should contact Book and 
                             Media Reviews Editor William E. Cayley, Jr, MD, at bcayley@yahoo.com.
                             Publishers who wish to submit books for possible inclusion in Family Medicine’s 
                             book reviews section should send texts to Jan Cartwright, Society of Teachers of 
                             Family Medicine, 11400 Tomahawk Creek Parkway, Suite 540, Leawood, KS 66211. 
                             fmjournal@stfm.org
                             All books reviewed in this column are available for purchase at amazon.com 
                             through the STFM portal at www.stfm.org/bookstore.
          666    OCTOBER 2012 • VOL. 44, NO. 9                                                                         FAMILY MEDICINE