Review: Calm for Surgery by Dr. Chris Bonney MD FANZCA

With experience-based information and a lively sense of humor and humanity, Dr. Chris Bonney, doctor of anesthesiology, advises readers on how to have the greatest success, fewest pains and fears, when anticipating and undergoing surgery, in Calm for Surgery: SuperTips for a Smooth Recovery.

Dr. Bonney explains that there are a number of major issues with which a prospective surgery patient might be grappling: general anxiety, fear of needles, worries about pain, and nervousness about being in a hospital setting without a sense of personal control. To some extent these anxieties are justified by the myriad possibilities, such as when the patient awakes in the unfamiliar recovery room, perhaps experiencing nausea, vomiting, cold, or pain. The author’s purpose in this active guide is to offer the patient – or patient’s parent, spouse, or caregiver – realistic steps for mental and physical preparation.

A comprehensive overview, the book begins with a history of modern anesthesia. In less than 150 years, we’ve moved from biting a stick to being administered drugs that allow us to mentally leave the scene and return with no memory of the surgical trauma. While this may seem unnecessarily thorough, Dr. Bonney weaves this information into his overall theme, which will be especially helpful for those who are afraid of going under. Knowing as much as possible beforehand is the key, Dr. Bonney says, urging readers to investigate and take whatever steps are necessary to promote their confidence in the processes involved. This confidence stems from accumulating knowledge – to that end, he offers the facts in a simple, readable, organized format.

Dr. Bonney, who has nearly twenty years as a specialist in anesthesiology, regards it as his job “to give every individual patient the safest and most pleasant experience possible” before, during, and after his/her medical procedure, and has assiduously mined a plethora of relevant information to give the reader as much pre-op data as possible, with a multitude of statistics quoted in his narrative and underpinned by a lengthy bibliography. He has not only constructed an engaging text – history, science, words of wisdom from time-honored sources, and a deep look at the many psychological factors that plague the mind of people awaiting a procedure – but has also created a series of audio files for self-hypnosis techniques for those contemplating the big event.

He manages to raise and examine critical and frightening issues with a mild but engaging sense of humor, as when he suggests that while our at-home blood pressure may be normal most of the time, “when the guy or gal in the white coat steps in, it shoots up like a 4th of July firework.” He takes special interest in the fears and feelings of children, advising parents on ways to make a child undergoing medical treatment feel secure and unafraid, making this a kind of parenting guide as well. The “SuperTips” at the end of each chapter amplify and codify his valuable information.

All in all, Dr. Bonney’s book is laudable for its invaluable resources and its clarity in separating the fears from the facts about having a major medical procedure. It could and should be used by both medical professionals and patients as they move forward through this daunting process together.