“Anyone Can Intubate will give a good grounding in intubation to anaesthetists starting training and to junior casualty officers, as well as the two groups mentioned above (nurses, ambulancemen)…” “I recommend the book as an adjunct to the practical training of anaesthetists and for those others who may from time to time be required to perform emergency intubation.” -T. Hilary Howells, British Journal of Anaesthesia
The author details exactly how to apply a mask and assure a tight seal, how to maximize oxygen delivery via bag ventilation, and how not to tire in the process demonstrating excellence in her clinical skill and brilliance in her articulation of these intricate details. As a neonatal resuscitation trainer for the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association, and one whose doctoral project is focused on neonatal resuscitation, many of Dr. Whitten’s details were enlightening to me as a provider … Again, the manner in which Dr. Whitten articulates how to successfully intubate is phenomenal … Highly recommended for anyone who may find themselves in a position to intubate. Penny Lane DNP, CNM, IBCLC – Believe Midwifery Services. read more
5 STARS! “I had Dr Whitten as a teacher and she was excellent. If I could learn from her anyone can.” -Keith Miller, Amazon.com Customer
“Individuals charged with the task of teaching airway management will benefit from reading the author’s step by step approach to teaching the complex psychomotor skill of laryngoscopy and may apply the principals found in the text in their own airway instruction. The author is to be credited for this important effort to provider young health professionals a thoughtful approach to learning (and teaching) this often difficult but lifesaving skill.” -Frederick Campbell, MD, Anesthesiology 70:1039 (click here for free pdf download of review)
“I found the text to be informative, easy to read, and should provide the reader with a sound basis when learning how to intubate. The illustrations contribute greatly to the text. They are superb! The chapters addressing the difficult airway and intubation contain much practical information often overlooked when teaching intubation techniques. They really make the book a complete guide to intubation. The textbook fill in all the gaps in intubation instruction and should benefit anyone who needs to learn how to intubate.” -Thomas G. Healey, CRNA, MA V.P., American Association of Nurse Anesthetists
5 STARS! “Excellent Study Guide for Advanced Airway Techniques. This book is very comprehensive for learning the art of maintaining an airway and a good review for those with the knowledge.” -Anonymous Amazon.com Customer
“Anyone Can Intubate will give a good grounding in intubation to anaesthetists starting training and to junior casualty officers, as well as the two groups mentioned above (nurses, ambulancemen)…” “I recommend the book as an adjunct to the practical training of anaesthetists and for those others who may from time to time be required to perform emergency intubation.” -David G. Price, British Medical Journal 298:66
“…and as a (pediatric) MD in private practice who does mainly office medical work this was a needed book for me…I love the author’s non-incriminatory approach to those handling emergencies. She knows some of us are apprehensive.” -Walter C. Wroebel, MD, Arlington Heights, IL
“The staff and I have reviewed the bookand find the format and presentation of information offered in a very direct and understandable manner. The content is outstanding as to objectives and visual aides (figures). We will use it for our class presentation and as a student resource.” -Joyce W. Kelly, CRNA, MA, Dir., School of Anesthesia for Nurses, Kaiser Permenente, Southern California Region
5 STARS! “THANKS!! Thank you so much for the great book and the speedy service!! It was in great condition also!! I appreciate it!!” -D., Amazon.com Customer
“This unpretentious little book provides an excellent overview for the neophyte and can be read in an evening.” -Joanne C. Hudson, MD, Anesthesia and Analgesia
Can J Rural Med – Volume 2, No. 2, Spring 1997 / Reviews / Recension –
This soft-cover book, written by an anesthesiologist at the Kaiser
Permanente Hospital in San Diego, Calif., is billed as “a practical
step-by-step guide for health professionals.”
The first 5 chapters cover the basics: anatomy, pulmonary physiology
and assessing respiration, establishing an airway (including the topic
of bag-mask ventilation), pre-intubation and predicting the “difficult”
airway, and equipment. The author then proceeds to the main
emphasis of the book: oral intubation of the adult patient.
In step-by-step fashion, Whitten discusses equipment choices,
positioning of the patient and the operator, proper technique and
avoidance of common errors. A supplemental chapter, “Studies in
difficult intubation,” deals with such matters as intubating the obese
patient and intubating a patient who is lying supine on the floor, as is
sometimes necessary in cardiac arrest. Intubation of children and nasal
intubation are also discussed, although these topics are not the main
thrust of the book. There is also a chapter on induction agents and
muscle relaxants (for rapid sequence induction).
The book is an easy-to-read and enjoyable educational tool. Whitten’s
writing style is clear and concise, and the line drawings illustrate their
intended points well. The book is strong on the details that are often
overlooked in published works, such as how to properly tape the
endotracheal tube to a patient’s face. Whitten anticipates common
errors in technique in a section that I found very useful; many of these
errors have the sad ring of familiarity.
To those of us in rural areas, orotracheal intubation is one of the few
genuinely life-saving skills in medicine. Only by intubating a few
hundred patients under supervision is it possible to truly master this
technique, but such practice is a luxury most of us lack. This book is
the next best thing and should be on the shelf of every rural physician
in Canada. Chain up your copy!
BOOK REVIEWS
John J. Downes, M.D., Editor
Anyone Can Intubate: A Practical, Step-by-step Guide for Health
Professionals. BY C. F. WHITTEN. San Diego, Medical Arts Press,
1989. Pages: 150. Price: $14.95.
In the introduction to this how-to monograph, the author writes,
“Most texts discuss intubation with the expert in mind … They lack
detailed instruction … Today’s increasing emphasis on teaching large
numbers of students the technique during short training sessions requires
a different type of textbook. My book is designed to fill that
need.” Nonanesthesiologist physicians, medical and nursing students,
paramedics, and respiratory therapists are the health professionals for
whom the text is intended.
The first six of the book’s eleven chapters-Anatomy, Preintubation
Evaluation, Equipment, Oral Intubation in the Adult, Common Errors,
and Tests for Tube Placement-prepare the reader for most routine
intubations. Specialized sections on pediatric, difficult, and nasal intubation
precede the concluding chapters on mask airway management
and complications of tracheal intubation.
While it is uncertain that tracheal intubation can be learned in short
training sessions, this book takes several steps toward clarification of
the intubation process and facilitation of its learning. The component
steps of tracheal intubation are identified in the manner of task analysis
and presented to the reader as a step-by-step sequence including detailed
instruction for the action of each of the laryngoscopist’s hands. Line
diagrams are plentiful. The limitations of mannequin simulation are
acknowledged and intubation technique in the human is contrasted to
that required in the mannequin. Most importantly, the author repeatedly
emphasizes that efforts to ventilate and oxygenate take priority
and should precede intubation. An excellent discussion of unilateral
breath sounds observed following intubation is found in chapter six.
While these features make valuable educational inroads, they may
not extend far enough, in the opinion of this reviewer, to accomplish
the author’s objective of accelerating learning for the neophyte. The
task analysis of the intubation process may be incomplete. For example,
the steps of laryngoscope insertion into the mouth, leftward sweep of
the tongue, and visualization of the epiglottis are blended into one
vague maneuver. The two-dimensional, black-and-white line diagrams,
although abundant, inadequately portray the images the neophyte will
encounter during his or her first clinical attempts. Yesterday’s simple
line diagrams can be replaced today by color still or video photography
of human anatomy and intubation. The additional expense would likely
reap learning dividends. Also, the author’s emphasis on oxygenation
prior to intubation might be more credible if the chapter on mask
airway management preceded, rather than followed, the sections on
intubation.
Some material included in the text, e.g., tricks for difficult intubations,
positive pressure ventilation via a nasopharyngeal airway, and needle
cricothyrotomy, may be inappropriately advanced for the intended
audience of this guidebook. On the other hand, some sections are
oversimplified, e.g., rote guidelines for proper depth of tube insertion;
or superficial and unsupported, e.g., “When I encounter a history of
surgery, trauma, tumor, radiation, or infection of the airway I reach
for a straight, rather than a curved, blade …. ” This sentence also
illustrates the informal first person singular writing occasionally encountered
in the text. The validity of statements in the text regarding
the relative size of the infant’s FRC, reasons for use of uncuffed tracheal
tubes in children under 9 years of age, and the capacity to ventilate
via an intravenous needle cricothyrotomy using a bag-valve ventilating
device are debatable.
The educational value of this book may be enhanced in future editions
by objective extramural editorial review and increased use of
descriptive flow diagrams outlining the intubation sequence, color
photographs of the laryngoscopist’s visual images arranged in a step·
by-step sequence, and tables (e.g., indications for intubation; causes,
physical characteristics, and management strategies of difficult intubations)
to facilitate the readers’ learning.
While this paperbacked, spiral-bound monograph is priced right for
the young health care provider, it may be best suited to the young
medical educator. Individuals charged with the task of teaching airway
management will benefit from reading the author’s step-by-step approach
to teaching the complex psychomotor skill of laryngoscopy and
may apply many principles found in the text in their own airway instruction.
The author is to be credited for this important effort to
provide young health professionals a thoughtful approach to learning
(and teaching) this often difficult but lifesaving skill.
