The 5 Minute Medicine Consult was amongst the medical texts and references that lined my mother's bookshelf when I was in high school. I was drawn to the unique style that made it "easy to read," even at my level. The topic-specific and highly templated format was the first of its kind amongst medical references. Years later, I have been given the amazing opportunity to add to The 5 Minute Consult Series.

The goal of The 5 Minute Anesthesia Consult is to emulate that style by creating an evidence-based, focused, and practical textbook that will be relevant to students, trainees, nurse anesthetists, and physicians. The 480 topics are presented alphabetically, but are presented in a second table of contents organized in four sections: Physiology, Co-Existing Disease, Surgical Procedure, and Management. Each topic follows a two-page outline format that is consistent with the section and easy to read. Additionally, we have provided a focused Drug section.

The chapters in the Physiology section were specifically written to simplify complex topics and then extrapolate them to pathophysiologic processes and apply them to relevant perioperative matter.

The Surgical Procedures section describes key surgical steps, followed by anesthetic considerations for preoperative preparation, intraoperative care, and postoperative concerns. The goal of this section is to "involve" the anesthesia practitioner in the surgical procedure by providing an understanding of, and appreciation for, our surgical colleagues' work.

The chapters in the Co-Existing Disease Section describe basic pathophysiology concepts, followed by key considerations to optimizing and managing patients throughout the perioperative period.

The Management Section covers a comprehensive list of perioperative complications that can arise in anesthetic practice. For example, the author of the Anaphylaxis chapter had a patient who "crumped" after being exposed to medication. Despite appropriately treating the patient with epinephrine and following ACLS protocol, the patient remained unresponsive to therapy. The author saved her patient's life by administering glucagon, which she describes in her chapter as the treatment for refractory anaphylaxis that may be seen in patients who are beta-blocked.

Each chapter provides a list of additional complementary topics that are available within the book to allow readers the opportunity to supplement their knowledge of a given topic.

I sincerely hope that the practical nature and quality of this text will contribute to your learning and benefit our patients in the ever-growing field of anesthesia. I welcome feedback and suggestions at fiveminuteanesthesia@aol.com.