LAUSR

part, kept short and concise, with a short list of important messages to take home at the end of each chapter, and a list of recommended reading. Section I deals with Prehospital care, Diagnostic tools and Resuscitation Strategies, and starts with a well-balanced discussion of the several controversies on the subject. Many of the first chapters are devoted to this neverending controversy of BLS vs. ALS in urban vs rural environments, and some concepts are excessively repeated throughout this section. The chapters on Airway Management, Resuscitation, ABC Heuristics, Intensive Care, VAT Surgery, and Ballistics, are to be highlighted. Section II deals with Surgical Strategies in Penetrating Trauma to the Head, Face and Neck. The chapter on penetrating injuries to the Face, an area not particularly familiar to the average general or trauma surgeon, is worth of mention, as are the chapters on injuries to the Pharynx and Cervical Esophagus, and to Blood Vessels. The vast experience of general and trauma surgeons trained and/or working in South Africa, as said, is clearly shown in this latter chapter. Again, the number of chapters devoted to similar topics makes for some repeated statements, specifically regarding the surgical anatomy of the neck, and maneuvers to control bleeding. Section III deals with Surgical Strategies in Penetrating trauma to the Chest. Of particular interest is the chapter on trauma to the Subclavian Vessels, which provides a very detailed anatomic description of the different steps to deal with these difficult, although infrequent injuries, and the chapter on trauma to the thoracic esophagus. This latter chapter also provides some very useful tips for the management of this infrequent trauma injury, which can also be applied to non-trauma esophageal perforations and damage. The chapter on Cardiac trauma nicely reflects the extensive practical experience of its authors. The recent book by Velmahos GC, Degiannis E, Doll D (eds.) on Penetrating Trauma: A Practical Guide on Operative Technique and Peri-operative Management [© SpringerVerlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2017, doi:10.1007/978-3662-49859-0_74)] is mainly devoted to this unique trauma mechanism. Although the book has neither preface nor introduction, the intended readership is clear and should include all surgeons practicing in countries with a high incidence of penetrating trauma, and also those less frequently exposed to these injuries, which constitute the majority of surgeons caring for trauma patients worldwide. The table of contents is well organized, and no key topics are overlooked. Several of the 131 contributors have in common their present and/or past experience with penetrating trauma patients in centers in Johannesburg and other South African cities. The book is divided into seven sections dealing, successively, with prehospital care and resuscitation, surgical strategies in penetrating trauma to the different anatomic areas from head to pelvis, penetrating trauma to the limbs, and other topics. The different chapters are, for the most