Physician-informed medical book reviews and clinical education resources.
My overall favorable impression of the 2013 EMRA Antibiotic Guide is similar to that of the 2011 edition, about which I wrote: For almost any infectious disease, the text advises you about which antibiotic to use, along with the appropriate dose, route, frequency and duration. In addition, the text provides you with various alternatives and contingency antibiotic … Read more
I’ve been looking at Acid-Base Case Studies (2004) by Ira Kurtz MD for a long time now, at least since I’ve written several months ago, wrongly, that a solid book with a case-based approach to acid-base disorders does not exist. It does in fact exist, and this is it. The book presents the reader with dozens of clinical … Read more
Chest x-ray interpretation is undoubtedly one of the most important technical skills in medicine (perhaps only fourth after history-taking, physical examination and electrocardiogram interpretations). The Chest X-Ray: A Survival Guide (2008) by Gerald de Lacey , Simon Morley and Laurence Berman is probably the best book about chest radiography in existence. There are several features that … Read more
Pocket Guide for Huszar’s Basic Dysrhythmias and Acute Coronary Syndromes: Interpretation and Management (2011) by Keith Wesley MD is a very good entry level electrocardiography book for medical students. (I previously recommended this book in Step 3 of Electrocardiography: A Curriculum for Self-Guided Learners.) The 200-page handbook contains good examples of most of the important … Read more
Differential Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases (1996) by David Schlossberg MD is one of those rare let-me-try-to-tell-you-in-350-pages-or-less-everything-I’ve-ever-learned-in-a-lifetime-of-clinical-practice types of medical books. Unlike most microbiology and infectious diseases books, which are organized on the basis of bugs or diseases, Differential Diagnosis is arranged on the basis of specific clinical problems or chief complaints (fever, pneumonitis, diarrhea, rash, arthritis or … Read more
The task of the medical image reader is, ultimately, to recognize images, that is to compare the image on a screen to one that is already etched into theradiologist’s consciousness. As the author notes: “‘Burned’ into the neurons of a radiologists brain are mental images of what a normal frontal chest radiograph looks like, what thoracic sarcoidosis … Read more
Choosing the wrong imaging study leads to unnecessary costs, complications, and side effects (no citation needed!). Yet many seasoned clinicians sometimes have trouble with knowing what imaging study to order. I think the author was correct in stating: “I wrote Symptom Based Radiology to help primary care providers make better use of radiology services. The … Read more