Complications and Mishaps in Anesthesia: Cases – Analysis – Preventive Strategies

Ability to learn from errors is an essential aspect of the quest to improve treatment quality and patient safety. This book consists of 33 cases in anesthesiology that is based on real life situations and illuminate avoidable complications and mishaps. The cases are presented in a novel manner in that they are embedded within narratives. The reader comes to each case “cold”, without any clue as to the content, and each case comprises a narrative and a factual component that are interwoven. The narrative parts provide the reader with information and tips regarding the clinical problems and tasks that the protagonist must face and try to solve. The idea is to engage the reader emotionally while reading and to entertain him or her while learning. All cases conclude with short debriefing sections which include possible strategies to prevent similar errors or mishaps.

Table of Contents:
Retained placenta.- Elbow dislocation with fracture.- Pancreatic surgery.- A Day in the PACU.- TUR of the prostate.- Tonsillectomy.- Hurray, a child!.- The rebleed – Uh-oh, a child!.- Bowel obstruction.- D&C.- Inguinal hernia repair.- Hip surgery.- Foot surgery.- Spinal stenosis.- Septoplasty.- Cosmetic surgery.- Laparoscopic cholecystectomy.- The second inguinal hernia.- Hip fracture.- Frozen shoulder.- Forearm fracture.- Colectomy.- Knee joint replacement.- Laser surgery.- Tibia fracture.- Inguinal abscess.- Aortic aneurysm.- Dyspnea.- Strabismus surgery.- Thoracic CT scan.- Cerebrovascular accident.- Prostatectomy.- Angiography.- Glioblastoma.- Table.

Review :
“Complications and Mishaps in Anesthesia is a compilation of 33 anesthesiology cases that enumerate perioperative challenges often seen during the scope of practice of anesthesiology. … Tables, flow charts, diagrams, and images accompany the medical knowledge along with useful references listed at the conclusion of each case discussed. … this book is an enjoyable and light read, is entertaining at times, and can enrich our practice management skills immensely.” (Sanjay Dwarakanath, Anesthesia & Analgesia, Vol. 123 (1), July, 2016) “The book opens with biographies of the fictional characters found in the clinical vignettes that follow, a little like the opening notes for a play. Each chapter leads then with a clinical vignette, some form of critical incident, a discussion of clinical issues and a dissection of the causes of the mishap. … For the Novice wanting a readable overview of anaesthetic mishap or indeed for the experienced clinician wanting CPD and a fireside read, this book has a place.” (M. F. Dowling, British Journal of Anaesthesia, Vol. 115 (3), September, 2015) “Complications and Mishaps in Anesthesia edited by Drs. Hübler, Koch, and Domino provides a unique learning experience that can benefit trainees and attending physicians alike. Through 33 chapters based upon actual cases characterized by an array of anesthetic complications, your expertise will be challenged across a broad range of anesthetic practice. … I strongly recommend adding this book to your library. … This book is an excellent introduction to the factors that lead to errors in anesthesia patient care.” (Sloan Curry Youngblood, Anesthesiology, Vol. 123 (2), August, 2015) “This book presents a step-by-step evolution of challenging anesthetic cases and common mistakes that anesthesiologists make. In each chapter, the authors guide readers through a case and illustrate the mistakes and reasons for those mistakes. … Students, residents, nurse anesthetists, and attendings are the intended audience.” (Daniel S. Rubin, Doody’s Book Reviews, April, 2015) “The book brings to light common pitfalls that we encounter in our everyday practice and complements other traditional textbooks on the subject of medical errors and patient safety. The subject matter and anesthesia pearls covered in this book will be of great relevance to anesthesiologists at all levels of training. It provides a good starting point for teaching anesthesia trainees and could prompt targeted discussion. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to trainees and clinicians involved in perioperative care.” (Daniel Dubois, Canadian Journal of Anesthesia/Journal canadien d'anesthésie, Vol. 62, April, 2015) “This book … promote higher standards of safety in anaesthetic practice. …I would certainly recommend it to anaesthetists of all grades. … senior trainees and staff anaesthetists in particular would find it most useful as they would most likely be able to relate to the stories in the text. Non-technical skills in anaesthesia have only been scrutinised in recent years, and this text complements it greatly in a succinct, interesting and informative manner.” (Aizad Yusof, European Journal of Anaesthesiology, Vol. 32 (5), 2015)