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Venous Catheters: A Practical Manual

Dotter Interventional Institute Oregon Health & Science University Portland, OR 97201

Edited by Philip C. Pieters, Jaime Tisnado, and Matthew A. Mauro. New York: Thieme, 328 pp., 2003. $89

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How frail is man, for despite his wisdom and strength, it is a mere few drops of water that spare his life." A bit Shakespearean, perhaps, but this quote from Venous Catheters: A Practical Manual, by contributor Melvin Rosenblatt, quite elegantly gives perspective to the topic of the book and its importance in the treatment of patients who require central venous access. Venous catheter placement, long in the domain of surgeons, has in recent years been largely absorbed by interventional radiologists. It would be difficult, in fact, to find an interventional radiology fellowship that does not provide extensive training in catheter-placement techniques. Although the graduates of such programs may find this book a useful refresher, others wishing to establish a venous line service will no doubt consider it indispensable.

Need an overview of port and catheter types, materials, and construction? It is here. A refresher in venous anatomy? It is here. How about step-by-step instructions from sedation and venipuncture through postprocedure care? Yes, that is here too, twice. Readers with limited (or remote) surgical experience will particularly enjoy chapter 3, which dedicates 58 pages to a review of scrubbing and gloving procedures, surgical instruments, and suturing techniques, with nearly 40 illustrations of the latter. Those faced with unusually complex cases will favor chapters 9 and 10, which discuss the approaches for specific clinical indications and the options for catheter placement in patients with major venous occlusions. Also covered in great detail is the management of infectious, thrombotic, and other complications. All chapters are well illustrated, well written, and contain dozens (I stopped counting at 40) of highlighted helpful hints derived from the authors' own experiences.

My only negative comment regarding the book is its cart-before-the-horse focus in the first chapter. After a series of stern (but appropriate) warnings that the reader beginning a venous line service must put clinical responsibility and expertise foremost, the chapter concentrates on how to generate a patient base, even providing a sample announcement for distribution to potential referring clinicians. Although undeniably valuable, this material would have been better placed at the end of the book, because—as the authors indicate— venous catheterization procedures must be left to the expert, a level that the reader will not have yet attained. This is a minor point, however, and anyone reading the subsequent chapters will undoubtedly reach that goal.

With 328 pages and 15 chapters, Venous Catheters: A Practical Manual provides a truly comprehensive overview of venous catheter placement techniques and issues. Densely packed (though occasionally redundant), this book is sure to become a well-read, dog-eared reference for anyone involved in venous catheter procedures.

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This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Andrews, R. T. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Andrews, R. T. Social Bookmarking                      What's this?