A book you don’t want to be without!!
Point of Care Ultrasound Handbook – Bowman / Boitnott / Miesemer
Now here is something I picked up on Twitter a few weeks back. Rumblings were that a group of supremos were about to release a text book on POCUS!! As an avid POCUS enthusiast / teacher and utiliser in my everyday practice, this could be just what I need. I was intrigued…so, having seen a sneak peek of one of their unbelievable infographics, I sent out a Tweet with a cheeky screenshot of one:
It went a bit viral…so there was a lot of enthusiasm and excitement out there! When would the release date be then chaps??!
The release was a week or so ago, and I was straight onto Amazon to buy it. Click here to get your copy!
Anyway…I was stoked at the fact it arrived next day, and that I was not disappointed! Nor were others:
Enough…what’s it all about and why should you buy it?
Well…firstly, look at who was involved…no brainer then!
This book remains glued to your hands! Once opened, it’s nigh on impossible to put down! The presentation, style and simplicity are second to none and I must commend the authors for their originality and enthusiasm. You simply can’t beat infographic presentations, as pictures say more than a thousand words sometimes! Just look at propfology.com and you will see what I mean!
Each section has a designated page tip colour so you can belt into it quickly.
We kick off with Ultrasound basics, and it is, but in graphical format. Sometimes you are over bombarded with physics and end up in the land of nod, spilling your hot coffee over your genitalia…ooof! Not here though, there’s all you need, brief and to the point! Basic knobology (no reference to genitalia this time!), ultrasound principles and adjustments to help optimise your images are clearly explained – that’s all we really want isn’t it?
Next comes Ultrasound Protocols. There are a myriad of them out there, and some get confusing. The layout is simple and you are left with clarity on each and their applications. There are fabulous, almost mnemonic-like descriptions and if you are a sucker for these as I am, it’s made so memorable! Remember that one for cranial nerves 😉
Next, we are taken through Individual exams. This section is again info graphical and simple. There is a lot you could get bogged down with, particularly when moving from level 1 basic echo to advanced, but you never get lost in this section. You will see on each, the experts tell you which probe to use and the time each exam should take once you get slicker! I don’t think any stone is unturned here…cardiac, to lung, to abdominal and even anything vaguely spherical in the body (gonads and eye!).
The book tails off with Advanced Echo Topics. I loved the selection here, as they could have gone bonkers! Only the most relevant are included. RWMA’s, Cardiac output and EF calculation / eyeballing (there it is again – the good old eye!). The very last page has a brilliant and intuitive way to remember chamber measurements…you will have to buy it to see!
As above, the back cover contains really useful Quick reference variables for cardiac, Abdo, Obs and Miscellaneous. And if you are looking at that, you have finished the book!
In summary, one of the best books I own! People at work have picked it up and won’t let go! It is so easy to read…in fact I did cover-to-cover in about an hour. You may think thats bad? No..quite the opposite! That was a solid hour, head not moving from the infographics and being continually enthused about this massively important and growing, must-learn field within critical care and EM.
The stethoscope is gathering dust and it’s no surprise when a group come together to produce a landmark book, grabbing our attention and propagating chat about that ‘POCUS’ thing!
JW rating – 10/10!!! Buy it now!
