Snakebite Assessment and Treatment in the Eastern United States. 2nd revised, Soskis JE. Midway, Florida: Snakebi te Publishing,

1994, 106 pp., plus packe t of extra copies of t r e a t m e n t pro- tocols for use dur ing pa t i en t care, $75, ISBN 0-9639911-7-5.

Do you have your snakeb i t e protocol memor ized? Can you admin i s t e r an t iven in wi th your eyes closed b e c a u s e you have done it so m a n y t imes? If you answered "yes" to bo th of t h e s e ques t ions , skip this book rev iew and go on to the next one. However, if you are like mos t e m e r g e n c y care pro- viders in the Uni ted States, you probably answered "no" b e c a u s e you do not see e n o u g h snakeb i t e vic t ims to feel comfortable wi th their t r ea tment . This booklet and the ac- c o m p a n y i n g packe t of t r e a t m e n t protocols are i n t ended to correct t ha t s i tua t ion by provid ing clear, concise informa- t ion in a user-fr iendly format. The booklet was wr i t t en by an exper i enced e m e r g e n c y nurse in consul ta t ion wi th no ted e n v e n o m a t i o n experts.

This two-par t publ ica t ion cons is t s of a booklet conta in- ing comple te informat ion abou t m a n a g e m e n t of envenom- a t ion and a supp lemen ta l packe t con ta in ing extra copies of protocols, a s s e s s m e n t records, and pa t ien t information sheets . These extra copies are de s igned to be pulled out and u sed at the beds ide dur ing ac tual pa t i en t care.

The booklet addres ses the care of pa t i en t s wi th pi t vi- per (ratt lesnake, copperhead , and co t tonmouth moccas in) and elapid (coral snake) b i tes in the eas te rn Uni ted States. Topics add re s sed include the following: a s s e s s m e n t of en- venomat ion , w h e n to treat, an t iven in adminis t ra t ion, man- a g e m e n t of allergic react ions, and w h e n to consul t an expert. A list of exper ts available for consul ta t ion is inc luded and adds grea t value to the book. The a s s e s s m e n t records are also a valuable tool b o t h in gu id ing pa t i en t care and in doc- u m e n t i n g care in a logical format. The booklet add re s se s pitfalls, first aid in the prehospi ta l set t ing, the m a n a g e m e n t of the p r e g n a n t or pedia t r ic pat ient , and b i tes by exotic snakes . The nurs ing a s p e c t s - - a d m i n i s t e r i n g an t iven in an d other m e d i c a t i o n s - - a r e spelled out in detail, inc luding di rect ions for recons t i tu t ion and drip rates. There are large

color pho tog raphs of snakes to ass i s t wi th ident i f icat ion of the offending reptile.

The m a n a g e m e n t of snake b i tes is far from cons i s t en t across the country. Here is one valuable resource t h a t can help prac t i t ioners choose a rat ional course of ac t ion even if they lack exper i ence in the m a n a g e m e n t of envenoma- tion.--JAP

Tramna C ~ r d i t ~ t o ~ Resource MammL Carlson PA, Eas tes LS, Gurney D, N a y d u c h DA, Sheehy SB, Snyder J, et al. Park Ridge, minois: ENA, 1994, 251 pp., $25, ENA members ; $35, n o n memb er s .

The need for a comprehens ive m a n u a l descr ib ing the often difficult job of t r a u m a coordinator h a s b e e n fulfilled. It finally has arrived. This book, i n t ended as a resource guide, offers the reader t h e bas ic s teps an d fundamen ta l informa- t ion necessa ry for deve lop ing a t r a u m a service, or f ine-tun- ing an exis t ing one. It also can be u sed to ass is t wi th prep- ara t ion for a t r a u m a s i te visit by the Amer i can College of Surgeons. By sha r ing their collected resources, the authors of th is manua l have accompl i shed a pa ins t ak ing task. The Trauma Coordinators Resource Manual is organized into e igh t specific chap te r s wi th various s u b c o m p o n e n t s in each category. These chap te rs include "Injury Prevent ion," "Sample Job Descr ip t ions ," "Trauma Alert Sys tems," "Re- susc i ta t ion Flow Shee ts , " "Pol icies/Procedures/Protocols ," "Educa t ion and Out reach , " "Quali ty M a n a g e m e n t , " and "Fiscal Analysis a n d St ra tegies ."

The chap te r on sample job descr ip t ion is of special in- t e res t for those in t roduc ing the n ew an d un ique roles of the t r a u m a t e a m m e m b e r s in their ins t i tu t ion or expand ing on the resources and responsibi l i t ies of m e m b e r s wi th in the t r a u m a depar tment . The sample job descr ip t ions are di- verse, bu t each is in tegral to the smooth ru n n i n g of a t r auma program.

A new, exci t ing chap te r focuses on fiscal analysis and s t ra tegies . This chap te r is especial ly informative in the a r ena of cap i t a ted care and cos t -cu t t ing initiatives.

The manua l is easy to read and the table of con ten t s of- fers the reader a qu ick an d thorough se lec t ion of topics.

The Trauma Coordinators Resource Manual is a mus t for b o t h the novice a n d expert prac t i t ioner ded ica ted to the p revent ion and care of t r auma "as the neg lec ted d isease of m o d e r n socie ty" (1966, National A c a d e m y of Sciences and Nat ional Research Council).--CTB

J EMERG NURS 1995;21:423-4 Copyright �9 1995 by the Emergency Nurses Association. 0099-I767/95 $500 + 0 18/64/66181

October 1995 4 2 3