This slightly more than 500-page pocket-size book in outline format
introduces the reader to and provides an overview of current concepts in
orthopaedic trauma. It will be most widely used by residents in their early
years of training, but other health-care professionals who take care of
injured patients may find that a condensed style makes this book valuable as a
quick reference, review, or introduction to fracture care.
The book contains twelve chapters, each of which is preceded by a detailed
outline of the topics covered in that chapter. In the body of the chapter,
these topics are expanded by bulleted text that includes lists, phrases, or
sometimes complete sentences to convey condensed information relevant to the
topic. Some of the text pages are illustrated with one or more radiographs or
clinical photographs. The chapters cover anatomic topics (upper extremity,
lower extremity, and pelvic and acetabular trauma) as well as more general
topics (principles of fracture fixation and high-energy trauma management). It
is unusual that two of the twelve chapters were devoted to "Minimally
Invasive and Computer-Aided Surgery" and "Fall Prevention in the
Elderly." References are limited, and some of the material presented
represents author opinion on a topic for which differences of opinion exist.
This is not a criticism, but readers need to recognize that this brief
coverage cannot explore the range of opinions on all complex issues and
controversies.
Similarities in scope, size, likely readers, and outline format invite a
comparison of Orthopedic Traumatology with the 2002 Lippincott
publication, Handbook of Fractures, authored by Koval and Zuckerman.
Orthopedic Traumatology covers a wider range of topics (in
particular, a chapter on concepts in fracture-healing) as well as some very
current topics, such as locked and minimally invasive plating. In some
instances, it offers more with regard to treatment techniques; however, this
additional material is at the expense of less detail in some important areas
(e.g., fracture classification and pediatric fractures, which are not covered
as comprehensively). Orthopedic Traumatology has a choppier outline
style and does not have the consistent, easy-to-follow organization that
exists within each chapter of Koval and Zuckerman's Handbook. Our
residents thought it was more difficult to follow the outlines in
Orthopedic Traumatology, and I liked the use of diagrams and drawings
in the Handbook more than the use of radiographs and photographs in
Orthopedic Traumatology. Also, the editing in Orthopedic
Traumatology is not without flaws. For instance, in the chapter on the
tibia, reamed nailing is misrepresented, probably through a typographic error,
as being associated with a risk of healing delays in comparison with unreamed
nailing, and a section on compartment syndrome after nailing is repeated on
separate pages.
Such books can be short and concise yet surprisingly comprehensive
introductions to orthopaedic trauma. This second handbook should be welcomed,
since it will act as a stimulus for the evolution and improvement of both
books in future editions.