Abstract
Miller’s Anesthesia Review is a study guide linked to ‘Baby Miller’, Basics of Anesthesia, by Pardo and Miller, the 7th revised edition of which was published in 2017, the 5th and 6th editions having been previously reviewed by Tivey in this journal.1,2
Miller’s Anesthesia Review (3rd Edition) mandates readership of its companion Basics of Anesthesia (7th Edition) since all the references are linked to the current edition of that text.
The question and answer (Q&A) format that underpins the book is a powerful study tool, and within its 51 chapters there are thousands of questions that are pertinent to our daily practice.
The same questions are likely to be asked by College examiners, placing this book firmly in the must-have pre-exam preparation category.
As usual, the authorship is eclectic, but 99% are North American and the American nomenclature has to be accepted as a niggling irritation.
I particularly enjoyed sparring with the chapters on ‘Preoperative Evaluation’, ‘Airway Management’ and ‘Peripheral Nerve Blocks’, where I found myself in agreement in most areas.
Disappointingly, obesity is hidden away in a chapter (29) on ‘Nutritional, Gastrointestinal and Endocrine Disease’ and is only given token coverage.
The chapters on ‘Neuromuscular Blocking Drugs’, ‘Anesthetic Monitoring’ and ‘Sleep Medicine’ stand out as masterpieces by the doyens of those realms (Ron Miller, Kevin Tremper and Frances Chung).
I was going to write off the first three chapters ‘Scope of Anesthesia Practice’ ‘Learning Anesthesia’ and ‘Anesthesia and Health Information Technology’ as too parochial for Antipodean tastes, but I was stunned by the revelation that the Americans—who embraced e-health and information technology at least a decade before we did—have already recognized ‘many possible undesirable effects of electronic systems including provider distraction and ordering interventions for the wrong patient’, an instance of which contributed to relatively recent tragic consequences in New South Wales. 3
In summary, this Q&A book will enlighten even the most advanced students of our craft, and I see the twin books as useful revision guides or crammers for anyone preparing for an anaesthesia exam.
If there are criticisms to be levelled at this format, they arise from the need to buy two books instead of one and that the information in Miller’s Anesthesia Review is presented in numbered paragraphs, with no images or tables to break up the tedium.
The hardcopy book comes with a complimentary electronic key for fully searchable e-book access.