Cambridge Clinical Guides – serie

There are many superb books on how to do operations but there are few or none on how to assist at them, and none written either by or for medical students or doctors. Therefore, the skills that make an expert surgical assistant are difficult to acquire. Normally, they can only be learnt in a haphazard way, by spending years in the operating theatre. This book describes those skills in a concise and systematic way, in surgery in general, and in ten different speciality areas. Although intended mainly for clinical-level medical students and junior doctors, other people who assist at surgical operations, including general practitioners, nurse assistants and surgical technologists, will also find it useful. Whether planning a career in surgery, or simply aiming for high marks in a surgical rotation, there are few better ways to impress a surgeon than by skilfully assisting at surgical operations.

This basic but comprehensive text covers both diagnostic and clinical aspects of medical virology, aimed at all healthcare professionals who need a clear understanding of viruses in the clinical setting. Organised into five main sections of individual viruses, related agents, clinical syndromes, diagnostic techniques and patient management.

Sleep disorders exact a high toll on society in terms of diminished quality of life, reduced productivity and cost to medical services. This book guides the reader through the basic science of sleep and how to evaluate individuals suffering from sleep irregularities. Complex features of sleep disorders are then discussed, including parasomnias, sleep apnea, night terrors and restless legs syndrome. The book also looks at how these sleep abnormalities can affect individuals with other psychiatric disorders such as epilepsy, depression and anxiety disorders. Covering disorders from insomnia to narcolepsy, and specialty areas from pediatric to geriatric, this wide ranging and accessible guide allows non-sleep specialists to approach and understand important information that is clinically relevant in everyday practice. Illustrated with summary tables, figures and treatment algorithms, this book will be a useful guide for neurologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, pulmonologists and internists as well as health care professionals in training.

Current research indicates that up to ten percent of children suffer from mental health problems at some point before reaching adulthood. Complex diagnostic criteria and medication regimes can make these patients a challenge to manage. The chronic shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists has led to more and more cases being cared for by pediatricians and primary care practitioners. Patients may be on multiple medications of long duration, and reaching a decision to modify or cease treatment is often complicated. Pediatric and Adolescent Psychopharmacology: A Practical Manual for Pediatricians is written for all non-psychiatrists who find themselves caring for children and teenagers with mental health disorders. It gives clear, expert guidance on the complexities of diagnosis of mental health disorders and provides practical, accessible advice on the complex treatment options available for many disorders. This text will be an invaluable resource for all clinicians who encounter these vulnerable patients.

Effective and capable clinicians need to develop strong interpersonal, intellectual and organisational abilities. This practical and accessible text explores clinical skills that are increasingly assessed in training, postgraduate examinations, continuing professional development programmes and reaccreditation appraisals. It is concerned with balancing the demands of the patient's life circumstances with lessons from empirical science and clinical experience. These skills help clinicians to put interventions together into effective treatment plans, and to develop strategies that facilitate recovery from mental illness. This book is written from a multidisciplinary perspective and it explores new ways of working. Although it is primarily addressed to psychiatrists, it is relevant to mental health nurses, social workers, occupational therapists and clinical psychologists.

Hypertensive disorders are among the most common medical complications of pregnancy, with an incidence of approximately 6-10%. This spectrum of conditions includes essential hypertension, pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome. For patients with pre-existing hypertension, management ideally commences prior to conception, and continues through pregnancy to the postnatal period. This book provides information on the evidence-based management of women with hypertension throughout pregnancy, supported by important background information on the etiology, risk-factors and pathophysiology of these disorders. Illustrated with accompanying algorithms, tables and lists for quick reference on diagnostic criteria, drugs and side-effects, this book will help clinicians rapidly gain access to the information they need to care for these patients. This will to be of interest to all grades of obstetric trainees as well as specialists, obstetric anesthetists and anesthetic trainees, midwives and maternal-fetal physicians.

The role of male-derived factors in infertility now receives increasing prominence, as investigations focus more on the couple, rather than solely the female partner. Although there are many books on infertility, few devote themselves wholly to the male partner. Male Infertility redresses this balance by increasing awareness of both the causes and management of infertility in the male. This revised and updated edition contains new chapters covering urological disorders that may occur concomitantly with male infertility, such as testicular cancer, penile disorders and prostate cancer. A practical and clinical guide, Male Infertility enables clinicians to make quick and accurate diagnoses of the cause before pursuing the most appropriate treatment option to maximise the chances of conception. Of particular value to gynaecologists and andrologists, this text will be of great interest to any clinician working in the infertility clinic, as well as primary care practitioners and trainees.

This 2006 handbook of neonatal endocrinology provides a wealth of practical information on the diagnosis and management of suspected endocrine pathology. Interpretation of endocrine function in the newborn period can be difficult, because of the transition following hormonal influences of the mother and placenta. The situation is even more complex in infants born prematurely. The unique format presented here is clinically orientated from presentation, diagnosis and management, including immediate, medium and long-term. It clearly explains and describes how and when samples should be taken, order of priority, sample volumes required, length of time one can expect before results are available and normal values. This book gives guidance as to what to tell parents, providing addresses of support groups. This is very much a practical 'hands-on, how-to' approach with flow-charts. It also provides a formulary and investigation methodology section and a brief description of physiology.