Book Review- Neonatal Equipment-Dr Praveen Kumar Chairman NNF Equipment Committee
Book Review : Neonatal equipment : Everything that you would like to know ! 3rd ed. Eds: Ashok K Deorari and Vinod K Paul. Publisher : Sagar Publications, New Delhi. Pages 213. Price Rs 200/-
Reviewer :Dr Praveen Kumar, Additional Professor, Neonatal unit, Department of Pediatrics, PGIMER, Chandigarh and Convenor : Equipment Committee, National Neonatology Forum.
Technology and Neonatology are inseparable. Level II and III neonatal care are heavily dependent on numerous biomedical equipments and demand huge monetary investments towards this. Though there are numerous organized resources available to learn about the subject of neonatology, the knowledge about the equipment is generally dependent only on the equipment brochure or manual provided by the seller or hearsay from colleagues. This book fulfills that crucial gap to provide an organized guide for buying neonatal equipment. I am not aware of any other book or website in this World covering neonatal equipment exclusively and comprehensively. In fact, this book was the inspiration behind the website of the equipment committee of NNF.
The book has been edited by two of the most dynamic and best known names in the field of neonatology in the country who have already authored numerous books related to neonatology. It has been there already for 7 years now and is into its 3rd edition. The get-up and quality of the current edition is a vast improvement over the previous ones without any increase in the price.
The book is organized into 8 sections and 32 chapters. The introductory chapter on "Practical considerations" and new addition on "Selection of equipment and writing specifications" are of great help to anyone planning to buy neonatal care equipment. The authors have meticulously compiled information on almost every piece of equipment used in neonatal care starting from incubators, radiant warmers, monitoring equipment, infusion pumps, ventilators and equipment used in the NICU side laboratory. Inspite of being a multi-author venture , the format of presentation is uniform discussing the priniciples of functioning, indications of use, utility, availability, suppliers and cost. The various equipments have been classified appropriately according to their function. The section on FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) in each chapter makes the book particularly user friendly. In many sections of the book, the authors have given information of the products available in the Indian market and of getting equipment at a lower price, which are of practical utility.
Throughout the book, the flow of language is smooth and easy to understand. There has obviously been a through proof reading as the manual is devoid of any typographical errors.
Though majority of the neonatal equipments have been covered, there is scope to include some more of the commonly used equipments like laryngoscope, oxygen delivery devices, blood gas machine, invasive blood pressure monitors, ECG machine and defibrillator. In the chapters on procurement , it may have been worth explaining the various terms used during the purchase process like AMC, CMC, FOB, FOR, CIF etc. Lot of refurbished ventilators and blood gas machines are being sold in the market at cheaper prices-the authors may consider touching that issue in the future editions. The quality of many diagrams can certainly be improved even if that adds a little extra to the price. Having an index at the end of the book should be a good idea for any text book or manual.
Overall, this book is a steal for its price. It is recommended for its simplicity, yet rich content ! A must have companion for all neonatologists, pediatricians, postgraduate students, neonatal nurses and administrators of neonatal units!