General Orthopaedics (Orthopaedic Pocket Procedures Series) Lewis CG. New York, NY 10121-2298, McGraw-Hill, Medical Publishing Division, 2003, paperback, 315 pp, illus, ISBN: 0-07-136985-6, $49.95 (book and PDA value pack: $79.95).

General Orthopaedics for PDA (Orthopaedic Pocket Procedures Series) Lewis CG. New York, NY, 10121-2298, McGraw-Hill, Medical Publishing Division, 2003, CD-ROM, ISBN: 0-07-140995-5, $49.95. [System requirements: PC with Windows OS 95 or higher, optional handheld device with 1.6 MB of free memory (Palm OS 3.5 or higher with Palm Desktop Manager on the PC, or Windows CE 2.0 or higher, or PocketPC or PocketPC2002 with ActiveSync installed on the PC, or Symbian OS 5.0 or higher and Nokia PC Suite on the PC, or Franklin eBookman OS 1.0 or higher and eBookman Desktop Manager on the PC), connection to the Internet, memory cards supported.]

Have you ever picked up a chart for your next patient and come across an orthopedic procedure with which you have some familiarity but can't remember all the details? The Orthopaedic Pocket Procedures series was published to help with these moments. This book and its PDA version are meant to provide "memory joggers" or basic introductions to common orthopedic procedures. The inclusion of a procedure m the book was based on how frequently it was present in the logs of orthopedic residents; therefore, not every procedure is necessarily common to physical therapy clinics.

The book provides a synopsis of 114 procedures. The procedures are organized into 12 sections that are either general orthopedic topics or anatomic categories. Each procedure lists the CPT code for billing, the ICD-9 codes for diagnoses, indications for the procedure, alternative treatment options, surgical anatomy, the approaches for surgical or other interventions, postoperative management, rehabilitation, possible complications, and references. The information is provided in short, bulleted, easy-to-read statements.

In the preface, Lewis refers to ICD-10 codes but the book includes the older ICD-9 coding system. The content on rehabilitation incorporates a physician's perspective so that the focus is on post-operative weight-bearing status, immobilization guidelines, and timeframes for commencing exercise. Simple black-and-white drawings accompany each procedure for clarification. There also is space for the reader to jot down notes or add comments on each procedure.

This text assumes that the reader has good background knowledge of anatomy, pathology, biomechanics, surgical terminology, surgical instrumentation, and commonly used fixation devices. The book would be helpful to a physical therapist who works in an acute care hospital or an outpatient setting and encounters patients with the array of mostly traumatic orthopedic disorders covered in the text. Indeed, this book contains excellent coverage of acute orthopedic fracture management.

The text is by no means a comprehensive overview of all orthopedic procedures; in fact, it is surprising how limited it is in terms of conditions that physical therapists commonly see. There is virtually no content on spinal disorders or spinal surgery. Information on elective joint arthroplasty procedures is also missing, although the procedures to treat a displaced femoral neck fracture with hemiarthoplasty and to perform a closed reduction of a total hip dislocation are both included. In physical therapy clinics, the most common postoperative procedures encountered are related to disorders of the knee and shoulder. It was initially disconcerting to find that there was no content on superior labral anteroposterior lesion repair, Bankart repair, or anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Lewis, however, has classified these procedures as a component of sports medicine, and these procedures, therefore, are covered in a companion on sports medicine in this series.

To ensure portability of this reference, a PDA version of the text also has been developed. The PDA version loaded quickly and easily onto a handheld device operating with the Palm OS 3.5 software. In order to read the text, the Mobipocket Reader Pro v4.6 is included on the CD-ROM as the e-book reader. The PDA version is an exact replica of the book. The table of contents is hot linked so that the reader can jump to the section on foot, for instance, and then immediately link to the procedure for plantar fasciotomy. Search features and bookmarking also are available and easy to use. The black-and-white drawings are not as clear as they are in the print copy but are still well suited to this electronic format.

General Orthopaedics is a helpful reference resource in both the print copy and e-book format. As intended, it is portable, quick to read, and succinct in providing information. Because bibliogmphic references are included, it is clear that the author intends this book to serve as a starting point in the reader's exploration of orthopedic content. As a starting point or a clinic memory aid, this book serves its purpose well.

Julia Chevan, PT, OCS

Springfield College

Springfield, Mass

Ms Chevan is Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, where she teaches courses on musculoskeletal examination, evaluation, and intervention. She also manages patients with orthopedic conditions at the college health services clinic.

Copyright American Physical Therapy Association Nov 2004
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