The multiauthor book entitled "Principles of Pediatric and Neonatal Emergencies" edited by Dr. H.P.S. Sachdev, Dr. Panna Choudhury, Dr. Arvind Bagga, Dr. Krishan Chugh, Dr. Siddarth Ramji and Dr. Ramesh Puri is an excellent reference material for all pediatric residents and practicing Pediatricians. The book has incorporated almost all important Pediatric emergencies encountered in Pediatric practice. Almost all the chapters are written by eminent people working in the respective specialties. The highlight of the book is inclusion of emergency situations in subspecialties e.g., Dental, Dermatology, Ophthalmology and Otorhinolaryngology, Psychiatry, Orthopedics, etc. Most of the chapters are written in an excellent manner with incorporation of recent advances. The book also has taken care of most of the emergency procedures including drug dosage.

However, certain chapters need some additional informations e.g., the chapter on acute paralysis in management of AFP, National guidelines regarding reporting of AFP cases and the relevant stool samples collections should be incorporated. The chapter on bacterial meningitis where duration of antibiotic treatment has been mentioned, the table should be referred as it has been mentioned that even 4 days duration may be sufficient although not recommended. In the oral and dental emergencies one of the most common problem faced in Pediatric practice is oral and tongue ulcers which should find a place in that chapter. In neonatal emergencies, the chapter on neonatal sepsis and organization of an NICU set up would have made the chapter complete.

The overall quality of the book is very good and would be very useful for all pediatricians in their day to day practice. The book should find a place as a reference material for all hospitals, nursing homes and the individual clinic setup.

A.K. Dutta,
Director-Professor and Head,
Department of Pediatrics,
Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital,
Lady Hardinge Medical College,
New Delhi 110 001, India.