NOVEMBER 1991, VOL 54, NO 5 AORN JOURNAL

product of these presentations. The editor cau- tions that these chapters are not meant to be exhaustive or complete, but they reflect the informal exchange of problems and ideas.

The publisher recognizes that because many of these problems are rare compared to com- mon adult hand injuries, the targeted audience and scope of the book are narrow. The book, which is full of illustrations and photographs, was published despite these limitations.

This book is available from Lea & Febiger, 200 Chester Field Pkwy, Malvem, PA 19355-9725.

JOANNE GUINN, RN, BS STAFF NURSE/OR

MCKEE MEDICAL CENTER LOVELAND, COLO

Cardiac Catheterization, Angiography and Intervention, fourth ed Edited by William Grossman, Donald S. Bairn 1991, 698pp $59.50 hardcover

This delightful reference book will appeal to instructing physicians and nurses in the field of cardiology and specifically in cardiac catheteri- zation angiography. The editors represent Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Mass; therefore, the writing style lends itself to the academic and clinical pursuits of physicians in this specialty area. The amusing historical per- spective of cardiac catheterization in the first chapter, however, describes an area that is interesting to all health care professionals.

This book features the biplane cineangiocardio- graphic room, and it includes photographs of all the equipment. It contains several diagrams and pictures for visual learners and information for both physicians and health care workers who care for heart disease patients directly and indirectly.

The book contains state-of-the-art informa- tion including cardiac catheterization tech- niques, hemodynamic principles, angiographic techniques, cardiac function evaluation, special catheter techniques, angiographic abnormali- ties, and profiles in congenital heart disease. This book answers many questions pertinent to nurses and patients, such as what are the indica-

tions for cardiac catheterization and is it neces- sary for all cardiac surgery candidates.

Technological advances i n cardiology require extensive instruction for physicians, and this book provides numerous lessons for them. Nursing professionals might select cer- tain areas of the book for in-depth studies.

The two chapters that deal with pediatric car- diac catheterization represent highly technical procedures and emphasize technique. Both sec- tions contain data that reflect recent advances in pediatric catheterization for treatment and diagnostic purposes. The research studies also could be used by nursing educators. Numerous radiologic views assist both physicians and nurses in gaining additional knowledge that relates to the procedure and its use.

This book is available from Lea & Febiger, 200 Chester Field Pkwy, Malvem, PA 19355-9725.

SHIRLEY MOORE, RN, MSN ASSISTANT PROFESSO~NURSING

KAREN BALAKAS, RN, MSN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR/NURSING

BARNES COLLEGE ST LOUIS

Current Practice of Surgical Stapling Edited by Mark M. Ravitch, Felicien M . Steichen, Roger Welter 1991,324 p p $79.50 hardcover

This book begins with the history of surgical stapling. Different types of surgical staplers, such as the end-to-end anastomosis, transverse anastomosis, and gastrointestinal anastomosis staplers are discussed and evaluated.

Diagrams and x-rays are used throughout to clarify textual information, and statistics com- pare the results of using staplers to manual stitching techniques in pulmonary, esophageal, gastric, and colorectal surgeries.

Medical students, residents, physician assis- tants, and nurses will find this text an excellent resource, especially the section that covers teach- ing and learning surgical stapling techniques.

The book includes a critical evaluation of staplers in the intraoperative and postoperative

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phases and the complications that could occur. This book is a valuable reference for the OR

library and is available from Lea & Febiger, 200 Chester Field Pkwy, Malvem, PA 19355-9725.

PEARL M. TORRESYAP, RN, CNOR THORACIC CHARGE NURSE

VETERAN’S ADMINISTRATION MEDICAL CENTER BOSTON

REFERENCE

Nurse’s Factfinder Edited by Matt Ccihill 1991, 398pp $29.95 hardcover

Nurse ’s Factfinder enhances the nurse’s access to a large volume of scientific and technical knowledge, clinical skills. and career manage- ment information and clearly summarizes the information. The book is divided into four sec- tions and covers a generalized view of nursing, clinical skills, patient management, and profes- sional management. This volume organizes an impressive, comprehensive amount of informa- tion into digestible, usable “sound bites.” Charts, tables. and thumbnail sketches, which comple- ment the text, are included to pack the maximum amount of information into minimal space.

The book’s most impressive aspect is its wide range of information, such as the five most wide- ly read nursing journals, how to locate intramus- cular injection sites, techniques of physical and perioperative assessment, controlled substances schedules for the United States and Canada, com- parative scoring for job interviewing, and how to study for the licensing exam. Some information is general (eg, alphabetized lists of disorders and symptoms, brief profiles of common surgeries, overviews of the deposition and trial processes); other information is specific (eg, the differences in normal lab values for men and women and adults and children, electrolyte imbalance infor- mation such as excessive licorice ingestion caus- es hypokalemia, the various initials for nurse cre- dentialing, how the certifications are obtained). The text incorrectly states, however, that CNOR recertification is by examination only.

Each topic is interesting to read, and many are excellent subjects for mini in-service pro- grams. The charts and tables are great teaching tools. This is the kind of book that makes you exclaim, “I didn’t know that!” Nurse’s Factfinder would be a valuable addition to a hospital or personal library. Nurses also could keep a copy in their lockers for quick reference.

This book is available from Springhouse Corp, 11 1 1 Bethlehem Pike, Springhouse, PA 19477.

SUSAN N. MARTIN, RN, BSN, CNOR CHIEF, OWCENTRAL MATERIAL SUPPLY,

EVANS US ARMY COMMUNITY HOSPITAL FT CARSON. COLO

NURSING SERVICES

Nurse’s Pocket Guide: Nursing Diagnoses with Interventions, third ed By Marilynn E. Doenges, Mary Francis Moorhouse 1991, 547pp $1 7.95 paperback (spiral)

For the professional nurse who began his or her career when nursing actions were based on signs and symptoms, tests, and medical diagnoses, this book takes the mystery out of nursing diagnosis.

Nursing diagnosis is a clinical judgment about individual, family, o r community responses to actual and potential health prob- lems and life processes. Nursing diagnosis pro- vides the basis for selecting nursing interven- t ions to achieve outcomes. This book i s designed to aid practitioners and student nurses by identifying the interventions commonly associated with specific nursing diagnoses.

Nursing diagnoses are listed alphabetically for easy reference. The book includes diag- noses developed by the ninth national confer- ence of the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA), 1990. The authors cate- gorized the diagnoses into diagnostic divisions, which are the framework for an assessment tool and are designed to assist nurses in identifying the appropriate nursing diagnosis from the data collected during the initial assessment.

The interventions are listed according to nursing priorities and are directed primarily to

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