"The anesthesia resident on a cardiothoracic rotation should be able to consult [this book] the night before a specific case and find sufficient practical information to facilitate his or her participation in its anesthetic management. For the fellow specializing in cardiothoracic anesthesiology, the book should provide a comprehensive study guide"-- from the Preface

Clearly organized into preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative sections covering diagnostics, anesthetic management, and physiologic and pharmacologic principles
Describes most of the diagnostic and evaluation methods currently used for patients with cardiothoracic disease
Explains the basic principles of the diagnostic methodology and the various diagnostic tests; compares values relative to other techniques and reports their limitations
Blends fundamental applications of anesthesiology with a practical focus
Encompasses a broad range of thoracic topics not treated in other references, including medastinal, esophageal, tracheal, lung, airway, aortic and pericardial surgeries