NEW!
MANEJO INTEGRAL DE LAS QUEMADURAS
Ricardo Mazur A.
404 pages, Primera Edición 2003,
MEC Impresores Ltda, Colombia
escosmet@metrotel.net.co
Barranquilla, Colombia
Dr A. Ricardo Mazur, plastic surgeon, Head of the Burns Treatment Unit at the Clinica Catalina di Barranquilla in Colombia, after publishing a short volume in 1983 entitled Orientaciones basicas para el manejo del paciente con quemaduras externas, has now published in 2003 a more extensive work entitled Manejo integral de las quemaduras. This new volume presents the experience of many years dedicated to the treatment of burn patients.
The work consists of nineteen chapters. It begins with a description of a protocol of rules to be respected from the moment of the patients’ admission to hospital and throughout the entire course of their disease. The intention is to propose a quality standard in the treatment proposed.
The opening chapter is followed by others on the physiopathology of shock, the therapeutic treatment of extensively burned patients, and the most frequent complications encountered during the first two weeks of the burn illness.
A chapter is dedicated to late complications, to their aetiopathogenesis, and to guidelines for the daily monitoring of the patients.
The author, with the collaboration of Dr Nelson Cotes Franco, an anaesthetist, deals with the problem of the physiopathology of pain and anxiety during the course of the burn illness, and makes a number of apposite pharmacological recommendations.
Other separate but closely connected chapters as regards their content consider the problem, on the one hand, of infection and sepsis and the criteria of diagnosis and treatment and, on the other, of calorie losses and energy replacement.
A chapter on the topical treatment of burns reviews the products most widely used today and their methods of application, while a chapter on skin substitutes pays particular attention to biological substitutes.
Two closely connected chapters develop the topic of surgical treatment by means of escharectomy and the coverage of raw areas with various types of dermo-epidermal grafts and sheets of cultivated keratinocytes.
Some particular burns - airway burns, burns caused by chemical agents, electricity, thunderbolts and lightning, and by carbon monoxide poisoning - are dealt with in a separate chapter.
Paediatric burns constitute a chapter that examines the various aspects of this particular problem: epidemiology, aetiopathogenesis, prognostic criteria, conditions requiring hospitalization, general guidelines, and suggestions to be followed during intensive care therapy and in the case of complications.
The obligations of medical assistance and the responsibilities of nursing staff working in an intensive care centre for burn patients are presented in a separate chapter.
The obligations of medical assistance and the problems of physical and psychological rehabilitation are considered in two separate but related chapters.
The entire volume considers quite extensively the various aspects of the complexities of the burn disease. The material is presented in clear and concrete fashion and is accompanied by a good iconography and numerous synoptic tables that facilitate consultation of the various chapters. This volume is sure to be a good vademecum for general physicians, plastic surgeons, intensive care workers, specialists in internal diseases, paediatricians, cardiologists, nutrition experts, physiotherapists, nurses, and specialization students interested in the problem of burns.
The volume is currently available only in Spanish.
M. Masellis
Health and environment
in sustainable development:
five years after the earth summit
World Health Organization
xvi + 242 pages, 1997
WHO/EHG/97.8
Sw. fr. 25 / US $ 22.50
In developing countries: Sw. fr. 17.50
Order no. 1930108
This report provides an expert assessment of what is known about the current state of environmental degradation, its root causes, and the specific consequences for human health. Prepared as WHO’s contribution to the five-year follow-up to the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the report makes a special effort to identify the full range of environmental hazards and then quantify their significance as causes of human morbidity and mortality. The report also documents the progress made in counteracting these hazards, at both national and international levels, since the Earth Summit, and examines opportunities for action to protect health and the environment and avert further damage. Over 500 references to the recent literature are included.
The report has seven chapters. The first introduces a basic conceptual framework for understanding the complex ways in which different environmental hazards and types of exposure cause adverse effects on health. Chapter two considers a number of driving forces, closely linked to socioeconomic development, that exert pressure on the environment, contribute to its degradation, and create severe public health problems. These include population growth, urbanization, inequitable resource distribution, consumption patterns, and advances in technology. Major human activities affecting environment quality are covered in chapter three, which considers trends in the production and disposal of household wastes, the consumption of fresh water, patterns of land use and agricultural development, industrialization, and the production and use of energy.
The fourth and most extensive chapter provides a detailed assessment of the links between poor quality of indoor and outdoor air, water, food and soil, human exposures, and specific risks to health, whether occurring in individual home and workplaces or in the global environment. A distinction is made between “traditional” environmental hazards - such as inadequate water supply and sanitation, poor housing and shelter, unsafe food, and high prevalence of disease vectors - and “modern” hazards - such as air and water pollution, hazardous wastes, unsafe use of pesticides and other chemicals, workplace hazards, and traffic accidents.
Against this background, chapter five looks at ten major disease groups linked to the environment and evaluates their significance when viewed against the total global burden of disease. Using the Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY) approach, the report concludes that environmental factors are associated with almost a quarter of the total global burden of disease. Opportunities to reduce this burden through environmental interventions are also critically assessed. The remaining chapters evaluate progress made in environmental health protection since the Earth Summit and set out a number of conclusions that can guide further actions at international, national, and local levels.
We highly recommend this book for wide readership.
The blood cold chain
Guide to the selection and procurement of equipment and accessories
World Health Organization
ix + 61 pages, 2002 (English only)
ISBN 92 4 154579 8
Sw. fr. 20 / US $ 18.00
In developing countries: Sw. fr. 14
Order no. 1930202
Access to and use of appropriate equipment and technologies are essential for the safe storage and transportation of blood from donation to transfusion, a process known as the blood cold chain. Any break in the cold chain compromises the safety of the blood - and ultimately the health of the patient - and is a potential waste of a precious human resource.
Yet a large number of developing countries lack the technical and logistic information they need to manage effectively the blood cold chain. The temperature requirements of blood and blood components during storage, their relatively short life span, and the need for their careful movement to and from the blood bank require equipment with distinct specifications.
The publications aims to provide practical guidance to all those involved in the management of blood programmes. Following an introduction to the blood cold chain management process, seven chapters provide a detailed description of blood bank refrigerators, plasma freezers, platelet agitators, plasma thawing equipment, blood transport boxes and coolants, and temperature monitoring devices, as well as other blood cold chain accessories. Each chapter provides WHO minimum performance specifications for the equipment, and selected product information on equipment evaluated by WHO.
A specific chapter is dedicated to preventive maintenance and repair of equipment in recognition of a growing problem in developing countries. A final chapter contains practical information, including advice on selecting manufacturers, preparing tender specifications, and calculating needs, as well as a series of simple checklists for procuring each item of equipment for the blood cold chain.
A pull-out Self Assessment Questionnaire will assist in the development of a standardized inventory of blood cold chain equipment in use at all levels of the health system, which should lead to improved management of procurement, replacement, and maintenance of the equipment.
The ultimate objective of the WHO Blood Cold Chain Project is to increase the availability of a safe blood supply to all populations, especially those in greatest need.
THE INJURY CHARTBOOK
A Graphical Overview of the Global Burden of Injuries
World Health Organization
78 pages (English), 2003
ISBN 92 4 156220 X
Sw. fr. 30 / US $ 27.00
In developing countries: Sw. fr. 21
Two new WHO publications highlight that injuries kill more than five million people worldwide each year, accounting for nearly 1 of every 10 deaths globally. In addition, tens of millions of people visit emergency departments annually due to injury.
Whether they are unintentional - resulting from incidents such as road traffic collisions, drowning or falls - or intentional - following an assault, suicide or war-related violence - injuries affect people of all ages and economic groups.
The Injury Chartbook and Injury: A Leading Cause of the Global Burden of Disease, 2000 both reveal some striking findings on the nature and extent of death and illness as a result of injury. These publications compare the different types of injuries people suffer globally, and compare injuries to other leading causes of death.
Of the five million people killed due to injuries in 2000, approximately 1.2 million people died of road traffic injuries, 815,000 from suicide and 520,000 from homicides. In addition to the considerable number of deaths, millions more are wounded or suffer other non-fatal health consequences due to injuries. The magnitude of the problem varies considerably by age, sex, region, and income group.
A companion volume on the same theme
injury: a leading cause of the global burden of disease, 2000
World Health Organization
52 pages (English), 2002
ISBN 92 4 156232 3
Sw. fr. 25 / US $ 22.50
In developing countries: Sw. fr. 17.50
In 1999, WHO published the first volume of this document to inform policy-makers, health officials, researchers, and the general public about the magnitude and ranking of injuries to facilitate informed decision-making and increase attention to this significant public health problem.
With more attention and resources being allocated to injury prevention and control, it is important to provide up-to-date and accurate data about the magnitude of this problem. Therefore, the ranking tables are presented here with the most recent data available. The 15 leading causes of death/burden of disease are shown in tables by geographical region and income levels, by age and sex.
<% createTable "","",";Type of injury;Deaths due to injuries, 2000@;Road traffic injuries;1,260,000@;Interpersonal violence;520,000@;Drowning;450,000@;Poisoning;315,000@;War-related incidents;310,000@;Falls;283,000@;Burns;238,000@;Suicide;15,000","",4,300,true %>ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH IN EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS
A PRACTICAL GUIDE
by B. Wisner and J. Adams
280 pages, 2003 (English)
ISBN 92 4 154541 0
Sw. fr. 60 / US $ 54.00
In developing countries: Sw. fr. 42
This volume distils what is known about environmental health during an emergency or disaster. It draws on results from the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, and on experience with sustainable development between the two Earth Summits, in Rio de Janeiro and Johannesburg. It is intended for practitioners, as well as for policy-makers and researchers, and thus covers both general and technical aspects of environmental health.
In Part I, a conceptual framework is presented for understanding environmental health issues in the context of disaster management. The framework covers the entire disaster-management cycle, from preparedness and warning to recovery and prevention. Guidelines are also suggested for planning and reducing the effects of extreme events on public health, and practical guidance is given in organizational and logistical matters. Throughout, the need for flexibility and innovation at the local level is emphasized, combined with solid advance planning. There is also a focus on the vulnerability of populations during an emergency or disaster, with the implication that such people have capacities and local knowledge that should be integrated into efforts to secure both environment and development against extreme events. The creative potential of balancing “top-down” and “bottom-up” approaches is emphasized in chapters on health promotion and community participation, and on human resources.
Part II is a detailed compendium of practices and strategies for risk reduction and response in the fields of:
This book will be useful in planning for, responding to, and recovering from the movements of displaced persons and refugees in humanitarian crises, as well as the floods, storms, earthquakes, and other extreme events that could confront health workers.
Notes from the book:
Emergency response
Emergency response is sometimes a cyclical process, involving repeated assessment, planning, action, and review, to respond appropriately to needs and capacities as they evolve. Rapid and effective mobilization is facilitated by proper disaster preparedness.
Water supply, sanitation, and hygiene
Water-supply problems arise in all phases of the disaster-management cycle. As with all other elements of emergency management, water supplies can be designed and maintained in ways that help to reduce the health impacts of disasters. The links between sanitation, water supply, and health are directly affected by hygiene behaviour.
Control of communicable diseases and prevention of epidemics
Disaster-affected people are particularly vulnerable to communicable diseases. The prolonged mass settlement of refugees in temporary shelters is typical of a situation that may cause epidemic outbreaks.
Chemical incidents
The occurrence of major chemical incidents has shaped the way the public perceive exposure to chemical substances. As with responses to all types of disaster, careful planning and thorough preparedness are prerequisites for an effective response to a chemical incident.
Radiation emergencies
Major exposures to radiation can have health effects which can be deterministic, or acute, and stochastic, or late. Deterministic effects include skin burns, radiation sickness, and death. Stochastic effects, on the other hand, include cancers and inheritable defects, from damage to the genetic material in cells. Radiation emergencies can have severe psychological effects and stress.