Book Review

Abstract

Management of the Difficult Pediatric Airway is a new textbook devoted entirely to the provision of care to the infant and child with challenging airway anatomy in both operative and nonoperative settings. Each chapter is written by a different author, or team of authors, and they represent a suitably wide geographic and institutional range. Writers from throughout the USA and nations as diverse as New Zealand, Scotland, Hong Kong, and Denmark are contributors. The physical book is easily carried into the operating room or library, as it weighs just 0.7 kg, and has dimensions of 19 Â 25 Â 1.5 cm. It can be easily read cover to cover, containing a manageable 235 pages. Colour photographs are plentiful and crisp.The book is organised into three sections. A review of normal and difficult paediatric anatomy is followed by 12 chapters on specific devices and techniques for difficult airway management. The text concludes with six chapters on an assortment of special airway topics.The first section opens with a review of airway embryology and the anatomy of the infant airway. It devotes just two pages, with two pictures, to discussing all the major paediatric airway syndromes. This is disappointing, given the title of the book. The second chapter in this section addresses patient and surgical factors associated with the difficult paediatric airway. Management of common paediatric airway problems, such as laryngospasm and croup, are discussed. The third and final chapter in this section presents a universal algorithm for difficult paediatric airway management.The second section begins with Chapter 4, a review of the history and practice of direct laryngoscopy. This chapter, despite describing multiple blades and stylets, is supplemented by a single picture. More illustrations would have added clarity. A second, bigger problem is erratic editing, with odd syntax and sometimes plain error. On page 28 we learn that a malleable metal stylet 'allows shaping the tip of the ETT with the purpose to "blindly" place the ETT into the trachea.' Unfortunately, this problem is seen throughout the textbook. Given the multinational authorship, stronger English language editing could have improved the effectiveness of this work.