[.ca] Tactical Emergency Care: Military and Operational ... (ISBN 0835953254)

uneven quality:
tho re-issued in 1999 (with corrections), this book is not very well edited. For example, the index is often off by a couple of pages, figures are miss-captioned, & I'd love to be there when the unsuspecting reader applies eucalyptus oil instead of eugenol to your toothache. No doubt a fine text in a classroom situation with a good instructor, but on its own merits, leaves much to be desired. A bit out-of-scope for entry-level EMS personnel wishing to 'expand their knowledge', but the chapter on ambulatory care, for example, is hoplessly 'in-scope' compared to books like 'ditch medicine', 'special forces medical handbook', 'barefoot doctor's manual' or 'where there is no doctor'. And $... ???? Textbook price reminds me of college.

This book is Trash:
These two clowns have authored what must be the WORST reference to ever be produced on military/tactical medicine. They should be ashamed. Not only is some of the information completely wrong (the entire ballistics chapter), most of it is completely irrelevant. As someone who has spent more than 1/2 of his 10 year military career in Spec Ops medicine I find this book insultingly stupid and a waste of good $. Here's a news flash for the authors: not all bullets tumble on impact! Moreover, if you have the time to figure out the "ideal" carry, you're not in a gunfight and should contemplate an alternate transportation method. You have obviously never moved a wounded teammate over broken terrain for any length of time or distance. If you're going to write about it, at least get some first hand knowledge of what is required to do the job correctly. DO NOT SPEND YOUR MONEY ON THIS ABORTION. Try "Ditch Medicine," "Where there is no doctor" or Paul Auerbach's "Wilderness Medicine" handbook for accurate and useful info.

Tactical Operational Medicine:
Dr. De Lorenzo and Mr. Porter have written a very readable product on operational medicine. This is an area of medical practice that begs for more documentation, and this text is a good start. Although the information contained in the text leans heavily to the military operational side, there is a great deal of information useful to civilian Tactical services. Some of the opinions are a little controversial, but the authors take a stand and attempt to justify their opinions. Topic areas such as laser and microwave injuries are not available in other sources. The approach taken by these authors is very practical and useful from a clinical point of view. This book is a valuable addition to any emergency physician or paramedics library. I hope to see further editions with improvements.

Tactical EMS:
This book is a blend of military medicine, tactical (as in law-enforcement/SWAT) EMS and state-of-the-art prehospital care. It achieves its stated goals of bringing the best of all these worlds to the medics in the trenches. Advanced techniques such as intubation and transport medicine are well-covered, while basic techniques such as manual carries are not overlooked. Particularly helpful are the sections on NBC/WMD, medication use and preparing patients for long transport. Highly recommended for any emergency care provider desiring an in-depth look at tactical care.

Combat Casualty Care:
Excellent textbook. Up-to-date, succinct and accurate, particularly for the military operator. Has value for civilian tactical medics, too. Techniques are current and reflect the authoritative refrences that are included at the end of each chapter. Strengths include the chapters on nuclear, biological and chemical casualties. The main weakness is the focus on military medics (this is the intent of book, according to the Forward and jacket). A must buy for anyone in the business!