Smith and Aitkenhead's Textbook of Anaesthesia

For over 40 years, this award-winning textbook has been the core text for anaesthetists new to the specialty and other healthcare professionals involved in perioperative care. Now in its eighth edition, this high quality, clinically relevant resource continues to offer essential reading covering all aspects of anaesthesia in surgery.

Covering day-to-day clinical practice in anaesthesia and perioperative medicine, from preoperative assessment and optimisation to clinical anaesthesia and postoperative care, this practical guide also contains an overview of the scientific principles that underpin these practices. It includes topics such as relevant pharmacology and basic physiology; data analysis and statistics; physics; equipment and monitoring; safety and quality assurance; general, regional and local anaesthetic techniques for a full range of surgical specialties. In combining these aspects, it has been an invaluable resource for generations of anaesthetists.

Fully updated and now accompanied by ancillary videos, this book is ideal for all trainee anaesthetists including candidates for the Fellowship of Royal College of Anaesthetists and similar examinations.

Highly regarded internationally
Aligned to the FRCA syllabus - including the updated FRCA syllabus references linked to the relevant content of each chapter in the online ebook
Offers clear, concise and practical coverage of all aspects of anaesthesia and perioperative care, including intensive care and chronic pain management
Chapters extensively cross referenced for the reader



All chapters revised and updated, many with new contributing authors
New chapters on environmental sustainability and point-of-care ultrasound
Considerations related to airway management related to pandemic viral infections such as COVID-19
Inclusion of new pharmacokinetic models for TIVA
Updated sections on infection prevention and control, ECMO, newer modes of renal replacement therapy and post-intensive care syndrome
Anaesthesia for specific, common cardiac procedures
Considerations relevant to robotic surgery
New videos in the Point of Care Ultrasound chapter