Evidence-Based Practice of Anesthesiology (Third Edition) is a wonderful update to the previous edition published four years ago. Dr. Lee Fleisher has made significant improvements to this invaluable resource text by updating existing topics with the most recent evidence, adding new relevant topics, and removing some of the more irrelevant subjects. Your purchase price for this textbook includes electronic online access, which comprises the ability to access the text on any internet-ready device, perform keyword searches, and reference links to PubMed abstracts.

This 72-chapter 585-page paperback textbook is well organized, consisting of ten sections that represent the major domains of anesthesia, including perioperative preparation and management, regional anesthesia, and cardiovascular management. Each section is subdivided further into a series of topics that are addressed with a question (e.g., Chapter 14: “When Should Pulmonary Function Tests Be Performed Preoperatively?”). The authors of the chapters are a diverse group of clinicians with extensive international representation and expertise.

Chapter 1: “Evidence-Based Practice Parameters: The Approach of the American Society of Anesthesiologists” points the book in the right direction by outlining the framework for making evidence-based decisions from inception, identifying sources of evidence (literature- and opinion-based), evaluating and summarizing the literature, and providing advice for dissemination of new evidence. This approach provides the backdrop for the remaining 71 chapters.

Chapters 2-72 are structured in a consistent manner such that every chapter begins with an introduction summarizing the relevance of the topic. In most chapters, the introduction is followed by an options section, where applicable, an evidence section that summarizes the current state of knowledge, an areas of uncertainty section, and guidelines. Lastly, each chapter ends with a table of authors’ recommendations which summarize the pertinent information. The section on areas of uncertainty is particularly enjoyable reading; it is especially thought provoking and, for my part, stimulates clinical investigation.

Although this is an excellent resource on the whole, there are several aspects that could be improved. The textbook is largely comprised of text and tables, and the number of figures is limited, which may not appeal to all styles of learning. Moreover, apart from the vibrant purple book sleeve, the remainder of the publication is monotonous black and white, lacking much visual appeal. Nevertheless, the online access overcomes much of this limitation with the text. Other minor areas for improvement would include moving the table of author’s recommendations to the beginning of each chapter for ease of access and adding review questions to help solidify learning.

In summary, this is a must-have textbook for everyone who practices anesthesiology – from residents embarking on their career to established practitioners wanting a concise reference to keep their practice up to date.