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J Perinat Neonat Nurs
Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 68–75


c 2004 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.
Book Reviews
Perinatal and Pediatric Respiratory Care,
2nd ed, by Michael P. Czervinske and Sherry L.
Barnhart. St. Louis, Mo: Saunders; 2003. 723
pages, hard cover.
For neonatal and pediatric nurses who work
with children compromised in any fashion by
respiratory distress or disease, this book will
be a valuable addition to the library.
This book contains 46 chapters divided into
5 sections. Each chapter includes a thorough
and current (within the past ten years) refer-
ence list. Section I (chapters 1–4) covers fetal
lung development, an excellent review of fetal
gas exchange and circulation, antenatal assess-
ment and the high-risk delivery, and neona-
tal assessment and resuscitation. Chapter 25
exclusively details cardiopulmonary resuscita-
tion as it relates to both the neonate and the
older pediatric patient.
Section II (chapters 5–11) proceeds in a
chronological fashion as it addresses assess-
ment and monitoring of the neonatal and
pediatric patient. Chapters 5 and 6, respec-
tively, provide useful guidelines for assessing
the respiratory status of the infant and older
child. Diagnostics are included in this sec-
tion, with a description of pulmonary func-
tion tests, bronchoscopy, and radiographic as-
sessment. Nurses who are often uncertain of
these procedures and their implications, will
find these chapters written in a concise easy-
to-understand manner. Chapter 8 is very help-
ful in describing chest x-rays and providing
clear, delineated examples of various respira-
tory disorders. The remainder of this section
discusses various methods of monitoring res-
piratory status, such as cardiovascular moni-
toring, noninvasive monitoring, and an excel-
lent review of blood gas analysis.
Section III (chapters 12–27) continues
with therapeutic procedures for treatment of
neonatal and pediatric disorders. These chap-
68
ters are laid out in a progressive fashion, be-
ginning with oxygen administration, airway
management, airway clearance methods, and
lung expansion techniques. The text contin-
ues with chapters that involve more com-
plex respiratory disorders and more invasive
management such as continuous positive air-
way pressure (CPAP), intubation, surfactant
replacement, and mechanical ventilation. The
book does an outstanding job in describ-
ing the various modes of mechanical ventila-
tion and the implications for choosing which
mode for which patient need. As neonatal in-
tensive care units (NICUs) receive smaller and
less mature infants, the understanding of how
each mode of ventilation works is imperative
for NICU nurses who care for these fragile
neonates. For example, a minute change in
volume or pressure can be either helpful or
detrimental in these babies. This book pro-
vides the information necessary for the nurse
to think critically about her patient as it pro-
vides both the physiology and the rationale for
treatment modalities all in one resource.
Section III continues with chapters 21 to
24 describing more advanced technologies
that are currently being used in some cen-
ters, some that are in experimental stages,
and treatments that are hypothetical and on
the horizon. The chapter on high-frequency
ventilation (21) is very informative and will
surely clear any misunderstandings one may
have about this treatment. Liquid ventilation
and administration of other gas mixtures was
explained in chapters 22 and 23 respectively.
Chapter 24 is devoted to Extracorporeal Life
Support and offers an excellent description
of the mechanisms involved and the impli-
cations for its use in both the neonatal and
pediatric populations. Chapter 27 describes
thoracic organ transplantation. One can see
with the progression of treatment options de-
scribed in this book that there is a reference
AS239-06 January 26, 2004 16:55 Char Count= 0
for nurses who work with mildly affected in-
fants and children to those who work with the
more complex and severe conditions. Chap-
ter 26 provides a great resource of pharmaco-
logic agents used in respiratory management.
Section IV (chapters 28–44) elaborates on
neonatal and pediatric respiratory disorders;
their presentation, diagnosis, and treatment.
New insights can be gained from these chap-
ters as they address neonatal pulmonary dis-
orders, congenital and surgical disorders that
affect respiratory care, and complications of
neonatal care. Chapter 31 offers an excel-
lent overview of congenital cardiac defects.
Other topics of interest included in this sec-
tion are sudden infant death syndrome and
pediatric sleep disorders, asthma, cystic fibro-
sis, head injury and cerebral disorders, drown-
ing injury, pediatric poisoning as well as dis-
orders of the neurologic and neuromuscular
systems.
Section V (chapters 45–46) looks at neona-
tal and pediatric transport and home care.
These avenues present unique challenges in
respiratory care but ones that need to be ad-
dressed as regionalization and early discharge
become more prevalent.
Neonatal nurses who work in levels I, II, III,
and IV nurseries can all glean valuable infor-
mation applicable to their patient care. Pedi-
atric nurses will find this resource valuable as
it relates to the respiratory needs of their pa-
tients. The strengths of this book include rel-
atively short chapters with concise informa-
tion and an excellent reference list at the end
of each chapter; many diagrams and figures
to help incorporate the written information
into another learning method; and many pho-
tos and pictures of x-rays to give the reader
a visual of the subject matter. In summary, as
stated previously, this book will be a valuable
addition to any neonatal and pediatric nurse’s
library.
— Susan Gibson, BSN, RN
Staff Nurse, NICU
University of Washington
Medical Center
Seattle, Wash
Book Reviews 69
Comprehensive Neonatal Nursing: A
Physiologic Perspective, 3rd ed, by Carole
Kenner and Judy Wright Lott. St. Louis, Mo:
Saunders, 2003. 960 pages, hardcover.
Comprehensive Neonatal Nursing pro-
vides an all-inclusive resource for neonatal
staff nurses, advanced practice nurses, and
other healthcare professionals involved in the
care and management of neonates. Although
the title denotes a physiologic perspective,
the authors have written a book that is holis-
tic in the management of neonates. High-risk
pregnancies, fetal therapy, family dynamics,
developmentally supportive care, and long-
term neonatal care are discussed in depth, as
well as complete chapters on neonatal sys-
tems and the assessment and management of
neonatal disorders.
The book is divided into 9 units and 47
chapters. The 9 units are (I) Neonatal nursing
care in the new millennium: in the NICU and
beyond; (II) Family dynamics; (III) The prena-
tal environment: maternal-fetal interactions;
(IV) The intrapartal environment: maternal-
child interactions; (V) Developmentally sup-
portive care; (VI) Physiologic adaptation of
the neonate; (VII) Neonatal and infants di-
agnostic tests and laboratory values; (VIII)
Pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic thera-
pies; and (IX) Long-term newborn and infants
care.
The first unit (chapters 1–5) includes im-
portant areas of discussion regarding the prac-
tice of neonatal nursing. Content on the ad-
vancement of nursing is provided, including
the history on the development and impact
advanced practice nurses have had on neona-
tal care over the past decades. Evidence-based
practice has become the gold standard for
both medical and nursing models of practice.
The authors include both the importance of
evidence-based nursing practice as a whole
and models of collaborative research, espe-
cially needed in the neonatal setting, within
separate chapters. Research and evidence-
based practice offer the best model of practice
and develop a solid foundation for neonatal
management. They also discuss, in chapter
AS239-06 January 26, 2004 16:55 Char Count= 0
70 JOURNAL OF PERINATAL AND NEONATAL NURSING/JANUARY–MARCH 2004
5, competency-based education in neonatal
nursing.
Family centered care is a common theme to
neonatal care in today’s society and the em-
phasis of Unit II (chapters 7–9). Inclusion of
a section on family dynamics in the beginning
of the book stresses the importance the entire
family has on the care of the neonate. A com-
passionate dialogue on beaverment, hospice,
and palliative care is contained within an en-
tire chapter, in addition presenting the neces-
sary information to provide the best possible
care to a grieving family. The authors return
to the theme of family at the conclusion of the
book in Unit IX (chapters 45–47) with chap-
ters on long-term neonatal care, issues relating
to transitioning to home, and need monitoring
that may be necessary to switch from hospital
life to life at home as a family.
Units III (chapters 10–13) and IV (chapters
14 and 15) focus on a perinatal perspective
with content related to interactions within
the prenatal and intrapartum environment.
Topics include genetics, fetal development, fe-
tal therapy, effects of labor in the fetus and
neonatal, and resuscitation and stabilization.
Unit V (chapters 16–19) focuses on devel-
opmentally supportive care, with chapters on
the management of the NICU environment,
newborn and infants’ neurobehavioral devel-
opment, and integrating neonatal monitoring
within a developmentally supportive environ-
ment. This unit also discusses use of computer
technology in neonatal care.
An impressive aspect to this book is the
systematic outline of each neonatal system
within each chapter in Unit VI (chapters
20–40). These chapter cover general new-
born and infant assessment as well as spe-
cific assessment and management of the
respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal,
metabolic, endocrine, immune, hematologic,
neurologic, musculoskeletal, genitourinary,
integumentary, auditory, and ophthalmic sys-
tems. Other chapters in this unit focus on
fluid and electrolyte and nutritional manage-
ment. In addition, several chapters focus on
care of infants with unique needs, includ-
ing infants during transport, surgical care,
substance-exposed infants, and the extremely-
low-birth-weight infant.
An orderly description of embryologic de-
velopment begins each chapter, supplying the
necessary background to begin a thorough
assessment of each system. Physical assess-
ment parameters are included, highlighting
specific areas to evaluate and important nor-
mal and abnormal findings relating to each
neonatal system. To assist with diagnosis, the
authors have provided system-specific diag-
nostic procedures, including advances in new
technology as applicable. Within each chap-
ter, defects or abnormal dysfunction are de-
fined and information is supplied about possi-
ble risk factors, differential diagnosis, clinical
manifestations, prognosis, and collaborative
management.
The authors devote an entire chapter (Unit
VII, chapter 41) to diagnostic procedures uti-
lized in the assessment of neonates and possi-
ble disease processes. X-ray procedures, use
of radioisotopes in the neonate, ultrasound
technology, and magnetic resonance imaging
are common instruments of assessment used
in management of neonates, not all benign
and without complications. Specific proce-
dures utilized in neonates are explained in de-
tail, including potential risks and the pertinent
nursing care of the neonate undergoing these
procedures.
Unit VII (chapters 42–44) describes prin-
ciples of neonatal drug therapy and iden-
tification and management of infant pain.
Chapter 44 focuses on a growing area of in-
terest in many units, the use of complemen-
tary and alternative medicine, and encour-
ages more nursing research into use of these
therapies.
Included in the book is a wonderful multi-
media resource. Each chapter in the book is
supplemented by information contained on a
CD-ROM. Integrated within the CD are com-
petencies, case studies, and critical thinking
questions. Study questions and answers and
other supplemental resources are also pro-
vided, followed by correct answers and ratio-
nale for each question related to neonatal sys-
tems. In addition to being a great resource for
AS239-06 January 26, 2004 16:55 Char Count= 0
neonatal care and management, this is a great
study tool for staff nurses and advance prac-
tice nurses studying for certification exams, as
few study resources provide case studies and
study questions.
Overall, this is a wonderful book for the
practice of neonatal nursing. Both neonatal
staff nurses and advance practice nurses will
find needed information in a concise, logi-
cal manner. The holistic approach, including
the embryologic foundation, and diagnostic
evaluation, assessment, and management dis-
cussions, give neonatal nurses a solid foun-
dation and direction in the complex care of
neonates.
— April Rolando, MN, MNP, RNC
Seattle, Wash
Assisted Ventilation of the Neonate, 4th
ed. edited by J.P. Goldsmith and E.H. Karotkin.
Philadelphia: Saunders; 2004. 588 pages.
Assisted Ventilation of the Neonate, edited
by Jay Goldsmith and Edward Karotkin, is
a comprehensive text on ventilator manage-
ment of critically ill infants. This is the fourth
edition of this text. The book consists of 29
chapters that provide a comprehensive re-
source for the care of infants requiring as-
sisted ventilation. Content has been updated
to reflect current research, evidence-based
practice, and where evidence is lacking, ex-
pert opinion.
The first chapter provides a review of the
history of ventilation, major breakthroughs,
and an introduction to principles and tech-
niques. Chapter 2 is an excellent review
of physiologic principles underlying assisted
ventilation including lung mechanics, gas
transport, ventilation, and perfusion. The
third chapter reviews respiratory control and
disorders that are characterized by altered res-
piratory control such as apnea, bronchopul-
monary dysplasia, craniofacial syndromes,
and neuromuscular disorders. Chapter 4 re-
views principles of neonatal resuscitation.
Content on ethical and legal issues (chapter 5)
Book Reviews 71
related to assisted ventilation is expanded in
this edition.
Several chapters focus on related care
of infants who are on assisted ventilation,
including intubation indications, techniques,
and pulmonary care (chapter 6), nursing
care (chapter 7), blood gases (chapter 17),
pulmonary function and graphics (chapter
18), and nutritional support (chapter 24).
The chapter on nursing care describes basic
nursing care of infants being ventilated,
including thermoregulation, skin care, pain
management, developmental care, and family
care. This chapter also describes nursing
care related to airway management during
specific technologies such as high-frequency
ventilation and extracorporal membrane
oxygenation.
Chapters 8 through 11 describe standard
ventilator techniques: continuous positive air-
way pressure, positive pressure ventilation
(pressure-limited and time-cycled), volume-
controlled ventilation, and high-frequency
ventilation. Several chapters focus on special
ventilator and related techniques: lung pro-
tective strategies and liquid ventilation (chap-
ter 13), inhaled nitric oxide therapy (chapter
14), and extracorporeal membrane oxygena-
tion (chapter 16). Each chapter summarizes
current research and describes the technol-
ogy, indications, adverse effects and complica-
tions, contraindications, and management of
infants receiving the specific technology. Ad-
vantages and side effects of different ventila-
tor settings and care practices are discussed
and illustrated.
Chapter 15 describes ventilator strategies
for specific groups of infants, with an em-
phasis on lung protection. Suggested venti-
lator strategies are presented for common
neonatal respiratory disorders such as respi-
ratory distress syndrome, bronchopulmonary
dysplasia, meconium aspiration syndrome,
persistent pulmonary hypertension of the
newborn, congenital diaphragmatic hernia,
apnea of prematurity, and hypoxic-ischemic
encephalopathy.
Two chapters (19 and 20) focus on pharma-
cologic therapies used with infants on assisted
AS239-06 January 26, 2004 16:55 Char Count= 0
72 JOURNAL OF PERINATAL AND NEONATAL NURSING/JANUARY–MARCH 2004
ventilation. Drugs discussed include exoge-
nous surfactants, sedatives, analgesics, mus-
cle relaxants, cardiotonic agents, pulmonary
vasodilators, bronchodilators and mucolytic
agents, diuretics, steroids, and respiratory
stimulants. Other chapters focus on cardiovas-
cular management, surgical management of
the airway, intraoperative management, and
transport of ventilated infants.
Assisted ventilation is not without compli-
cations. Therefore chapter 21 examines up-
per airway, lower airway, and extrapulmonary
complications. Major emphasis is on bron-
chopulmonary dysplasia, air leak syndromes,
and retinopathy of prematurity. Later chapters
examine pulmonary outcome and follow-up
and central nervous system morbidity.
The final chapter presents 8 case studies
of actual infants. These cases represent ex-
amples of types of infants commonly encoun-
tered in the neonatal intensive care unit. Cases
include hypoventilation secondary to wors-
ening respiratory distress syndrome, persis-
tent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn,
respiratory distress syndrome with patent
ductus arteriosus, pulmonary interstitial em-
physema, congenital vascular ring, and to-
tal anomalous pulmonary venous connection.
Appendices include tables for each mode
of ventilation, with principles of operation
and advantages and disadvantages, assessment
forms, common lab values, sample forms, and
practice recommendations.
In their Preface, Goldsmith and Karotkin
state that their text follows the principles of
the Laws of Ventilator Efficiency (LOVE): “1.
Know thy ventilator and disease pathology. 2.
Develop a specific strategy for the pathophys-
iology in each individual infant. 2. Change
the ventilator strategy as the pathophysiol-
ogy changes. 4. Always strive to wean the pa-
tient off of ventilator assistance (i.e. have an
exit strategy.” (p. xiii). Their book effectively
demonstrates these principles. The book is
well illustrated throughout with photographs,
line drawings, figures, and tables. Tables sum-
marize specific management and compare dif-
ferent strategies; practice algorithms are also
included. This is a valuable resource for both
neonatal intensive care unit and individual
practitioners.
— Susan Blackburn, PhD, RN,C, FAAN
Professor
Department of Family and
Child Nursing
University of Washington
Seattle, Wash
Drugs for Pregnant and Lactating
Women, by C.P. Weiner and C. Buhimschi.
New York: Churchill Livingstone; 2004.
1101 pages. Also available as CD-ROM PDA
software.
Many women take prescribed and over-
the-counter drugs during pregnancy or while
breastfeeding. For many drugs there is scant
information on use during pregnancy and lac-
tation and FDA pregnancy categories are of-
ten confusing and limited in helping with
prescribing decisions. This book presents
information on over 729 generic drugs (ap-
proximately 1500 trade names). Both pre-
scribed and over-the-counter drugs are in-
cluded. Drugs are presented alphabetically
by generic name. The text is available as
text only, text plus CD-ROM PDA software,
CD-ROM PDA software only, or as down-
loadable PDA software. The authors indicate
that the electronic versions will be updated
quarterly.
Information on each drug is divided into
10 sections: name, class, indications, mecha-
nisms of action, dosage with qualifiers, ma-
ternal considerations, fetal considerations,
breastfeeding safety, references, and sum-
mary. The name section lists both the generic
name and trade names(s) of agents used in the
United States. Both generic and trade names
are listed in the index. In the index, trade
names are in bold type making them easy to
identify. Indications are the major indicator es-
pecially as it applies to the pregnant or lac-
tating women. Dosage information includes
contraindications and cautions as they apply
to women of childbearing age. These include
AS239-06 January 26, 2004 16:55 Char Count= 0
drug interactions and cautions in using the
drug if the woman has another disorder other
than that for which the agent is prescribed.
The most useful sections are the 3 sum-
marizing maternal, fetal, and lactation con-
siderations. These sections identify what is
known and not known about use of the spe-
cific agent with the specified populations. For
the majority of the agents there are few, if
any, adequate reports or well-controlled stud-
ies. In the section on maternal consideration,
maternal side effects are listed. If pregnancy-
physiologic adaptations, such as changes in re-
nal function, hepatic processing, or volume of
distribution, are known to alter handling of
the agent, these changes and effect on dosing
are described. The sections on fetal consider-
ations and breastfeeding safety indicate if the
drug is known to cross the placenta or into
breast milk. Selected references are provided
for each drug.
The final summary section includes the FDA
pregnancy category for the drug, a rating of
safety in lactation (developed by the authors),
whether the drug is not recommended for use
in pregnancy and lactation, and alternative
drugs within the same class that may be safer.
One of the appendices contains a list of preg-
nancy registries for women with specific con-
ditions (such as epilepsy, asthma, psychotic
disorders, and rheumatoid arthritis) who are
taking a variety of drugs, those for women tak-
ing a specific agent, and those for lactating
women taking certain groups of medications.
This book is a comprehensive resource for
clinicians working with pregnant and lactat-
ing women. The authors state that the pur-
pose of their book is to provide an “. . . easy-
to-use, reader friendly resource containing
the key information required by caregivers to
make prescribing decisions.” They do so. The
material presented on each drug is easy to ac-
cess and read. A problem with any pharma-
cology text is the currency of the material.
The authors indicate that they will be updat-
ing the content frequently, although this can
be costly in print versions to purchase new
texts. For the clinician the CD-ROM PDA soft-
ware version may be more useful and cost-
Book Reviews 73
effective since free quarterly updates will be
available.
— Susan Blackburn, PhD, RN,C, FAAN
Professor
Department of Family and
Child Nursing
University of Washington
Seattle, Wash
Genetics in Obstetrics and Gynecology,
3rd ed, by J.L. Simpson and S. Elias. Philadel-
phia: Saunders; 2003. 484 pages.
This book focuses on genetics as applied to
obstetrical and gynecological care. The cur-
rent edition updates the content of previous
editions and expands the material on prena-
tal genetics diagnosis, pre-implantation diag-
nosis, use of fetal cells in maternal blood, con-
genital anomalies, breast and ovarian cancer,
and sex differentiation. The book is divided
into 5 units.
The first unit, General Principles (chap-
ters 1–4), covers basics genetics. Con-
tent includes chromosomal abnormalities,
molecular and Mendelian genetics, polygenic/
multifactorial inheritance, and genetic history
taking and counseling. This is not intended to
be a basic genetics textbook. Therefore some
of the content reviewed in these chapters
assumes a prior introduction to basics of
genetics and some of the terminology and
descriptions may not be completely clear to
someone who is a novice in this area.
The second unit (chapters 5–12) is Clini-
cal Genetics. Chapter 5 discusses the genet-
ics of pregnancy loss including timing and re-
currence risks and provides a comprehensive
review of both genetic and nongenetic eti-
ologies. Chapter 6 examines genetics causes
of mental retardation including gene syn-
dromes, autosomal recessive inborn errors of
metabolism, and autosomal dominant condi-
tions. This is followed by a chapter focusing
on pregnant women who have an underly-
ing Mendelian disorder. With improved under-
standing and management of many disorders,
AS239-06 January 26, 2004 16:55 Char Count= 0
74 JOURNAL OF PERINATAL AND NEONATAL NURSING/JANUARY–MARCH 2004
more women with genetics disorders are sur-
viving to childbearing age and becoming preg-
nant. This creates challenges to the women,
her family, and her care providers. Clinical
management and pregnancy considerations
are described for pregnant women with disor-
ders such as cystic fibrosis, phenylketonuria,
hemoglobinopathies, Marfan syndrome, and
others. The role of genetic factors in pre-
eclampsia is also discussed in this chapter.
The next 2 chapters focus on genetic as-
pects of gynecological disorders. Chapter 8
discusses the genetic basis for common gy-
necologic disorders including many reproduc-
tive system anomalies and endometriosis. The
following chapter continues the gynecologic
focus, examining the genetic basis of gyneco-
logic cancers, including cervical, ovarian, and
breasts cancers and gestational trophoblastic
disease. This chapter also includes a review
of the major classes of cancer-causing genes
and a section on genetic counseling and risk
assessment with women with breast cancer.
Chapters 10 through 12 review sex differ-
entiation and its disorders. These chapters be-
gin with a review of reproductive embryology
and its genetics control. Disorders of sex dif-
ferentiation covered include gonadal abnor-
malities (hypogonadotropic hypogonadism),
disorders of the external genitalia (female
and male pseudohermaphroditism), disorders
arising from increased numbers of sex chro-
mosomes, and disorders of the male reproduc-
tive tract leading to infertility.
The third unit (chapters 13 through 17)
focus on prenatal genetic diagnosis. Chap-
ter 13 describes diagnostic procedures and
describes the technique, considerations, and
safety of amniocentesis, early amniocentesis,
chorionic villus sampling, fetal blood, skin,
muscle, and other tissue sampling, fetal liver
biopsy, embryoscopy, and ultrasonography.
Chapter 14 identifies common indicators for
prenatal cytogenetic diagnosis, cytogenetic
techniques, maternal serum analyte screen-
ing techniques, and fluorescence in situ hy-
bridization (FISH). The use of the different
techniques, issues, and accuracy are all ad-
dressed. Chapter 15 covers the diagnosis of
Mendelian disorders and neural tube defects.
The last 2 chapters in this unit focus on newer
techniques of pre-implantation genetics diag-
nosis, used in conjunction with assisted repro-
ductive technologies and the new technolo-
gies currently being developed for prenatal
diagnosis by intact fetal cells or cell-free DNA
in maternal blood.
The final unit (chapter 18) discusses ethical
and legal issues in reproductive genetics. Top-
ics include informed consent for genetics pro-
cedures, limits of genetics and screening, and
an overview of guidelines for decision mak-
ing. This chapter was brief and could have
discussed the many issues in genetics in more
depth.
Simpson and Elias have developed a useful
reference book for educators and practition-
ers on recent advances and current genetic
aspects of obstetrical and gynecological disor-
ders. This book is not a basic text and not in-
tended to substitute for more general genetics
texts. It will be most useful as a reference for
educators and clinicians working with preg-
nant women or in other area of women’s
healthcare as content on neonatal/pediatric
disorders is limited.
— Susan Blackburn, PhD, RN,C, FAAN
Professor
Department of Family and
Child Nursing
University of Washington
Seattle, Wash
Medical Genetics, 3rd ed. by L.B. Jorde, J.C.
Carey, M.J. Bamshad, and R.L. White. St. Louis:
Mosby; 2003. 363 pages.
Medical Genetics is a comprehensive clin-
ically oriented genetics text that addresses
the range of genetic topics encountered
across the healthcare and age continuum. This
third edition updates and expands content
from previous editions. The book includes
expanded material on the Human Genome
Project and its ethical, legal, and societal is-
sues as well as more in-depth content on new
AS239-06 January 26, 2004 16:55 Char Count= 0
issues and techniques such as pharmacoge-
nomics, cloning, genetic enhancement, gene
mapping, cancer genetics, immunogenetics,
and stem cell research.
The book is divided into 14 chapters. Chap-
ter 1 reviews the history of genetics and dis-
cusses clinical impact of genetics diseases
and the significance of genetics for clinicians.
Chapter 2 focuses on basic cell biology, the
molecular basis of inheritance and the struc-
ture of genes, and the human genome. The
following chapter examines mutations, ge-
netic variation, and techniques for determin-
ing variations in DNA.
Chapters 4 and 5 discuss inheritance of sin-
gle gene disorders via autosomal, sex-linked,
and mitochondrial patterns of inheritance.
Also included is a section on factors that
may complicate inheritance patterns such as
altered penetrance, variable and expressiv-
ity, germline mosaicism, genomic imprinting,
and repeated expansions. Chapter 6 discusses
clinical cytogenetics and the role of alter-
ations in chromosome number and structure
in disease. Chapter 7 examines biochemical
genetics, metabolic disorders, and pharmaco-
genetics. A chapter follows this on gene map-
ping and cloning.
The next 4 chapters (9 through 12) are ex-
amples of application of genetic principles
to specific specialty areas. Chapter 9 focuses
on immunogenetics and the role of genet-
ics in immune responses, major histocompat-
ibility complexes, blood groups, and immun-
odeficiency diseases. Chapter 10 examines
developmental genetics and the current un-
derstanding about how genes control devel-
opment of the embryo and fetus. Cancer
genetics is described in chapter 11, includ-
Book Reviews 75
ing the genetic considerations in the devel-
opment of cancer, major classes of cancer
genes, and examples of known inherited can-
cer genes. Chapter 12 covers the basis for mul-
tifactorial inheritance and its role in develop-
ment of certain congenital anomalies as well
as adult-onset disorders such as cardiovascu-
lar problems, diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer dis-
ease, psychiatric disorders, and others.
Chapter 13 is on genetic testing and gene
therapies. Much of this chapter focuses on
newborn screening and prenatal screening
and diagnosis. The final chapter discusses ge-
netic counseling, dysmorphology, and ethical
considerations.
The book is well illustrated with diagrams,
figures, and tables throughout. Interspersed
within the text are “Clinical Commentaries,”
boxes that provide case examples and current
management considerations. Minisummaries
of major points are highlighted for each topic.
Study questions (with answers at the end of
the book) are provided for each chapter. In ad-
dition to print resources, many chapters have
suggested Internet sites. In addition an Inter-
net site has been developed by the authors to
supplement and update content in the text.
This site also provides a test question bank.
This book is an excellent resource for use in
genetics courses for nursing and medical stu-
dents and other health professionals as well as
a general genetics practice resource.
— Susan Blackburn, PhD, RN,C, FAAN
Professor
Department of Family and
Child Nursing
University of Washington
Seattle, Wash