Selective Arterial Catheterization.

The remarkable contributions of arteriography to clinical practice and research in recent years make a survey of the field timely, and it was with great enthusiasm that I approach this new book. With sadness, it must be reported, I was soon disappointed. Things began well enough with a survey of the history of intravascular catheterization. But problems started with the next chapter dealing with the anatomy and physiology of the arterial system. Here, the reader's confidence was shaken by the statement that pulmonary arterial pressure was normally 80/20 mm Hg. (!) In any laboratory, the upper limit of normal for systolic pulmonary artery pressure is well below half this value of 80. The next real jolt came with the description of routine premedication before arterial catheterization in an adult. The recommended recipe is said to "usually suffice": oxymorphone hydrochloride (Numorphan), 1.5 mg; promethazine hydrochloride (Phenergan), 50 mg; and secobarbital (Seconal), 300