The content of this book provides wide knowledge related to the nurse's role in the overall management of a patient to be anaesthetised, and their care during preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative periods.

In many parts of the world, male nurses are trained to be efficient Anaesthetic technicians. They do the anaesthetic management under the supervision of Physician Anaesthesiologist. They do the preparation of equipments for intubation and anaesthesia. Varying vital jobs such as pre-anaesthetic assessment, administration of pre-anaesthetic medications, recording the vital signs, intra-operative monitoring of patient, positioning the patient for surgeries are assigned to these nurses. The care of the postoperative patients in the recovery room which include monitoring the patients, maintaining their airway clear and suctioning, etc. are done only by the well trained nurses all over the world. All these aspects are well covered and illustrated with suitable figures.

Various types of anaesthesia such as general anaesthesia, spinal anaesthesia, epidural block, etc. are well explained. The observation for the assessment of blood loss during surgery is discussed well. Postoperative hypoxia, its danger, the means of preventing it with the help of pulse oximeter are discussed in detail. The role of nurses in Cardiopulmonary Cerebral Resuscitation is very emphatically discussed and explained.6

This is a bold venture, wisely thought out, and timely brought out leading the nurses into a new arena of knowledge and understanding. Nurses should become visionaries, knowing their importance, becoming part of the modern medical areas particularly Anaesthesiology. The authorities and planners of nursing education and training may consider that qualified nurses can be given in-service training in Anaesthesiology making them Nurse Anaesthetic Assistants or even Nurse Anaesthetists which will enhance the care of patients.

This book will be illuminating, enriching, expending the horizon of nursing and nurse's role in the field of Anaesthesiology. This is a leading guide for nurses into the new path of knowledge for nursing profession.

The author in this book “Anaesthesiology for Nurses” insists the importance of the role to be played by the nurses in patient care as a whole. With his vast and rich experience in the field of anaesthesiology, he explains the complications that can arise in the various systems of the patient and how best it can be prevented by skillful nursing.

In the words of the author “The Nurses have to learn more in the process of education to adapt to meet the challenges” in health care delivery system. One of such challenges is the care of the patient under anaesthesia and the patients in Intensive Care Units. This book will, I believe, be definitely helpful to both degree and diploma (Nursing) students as well as all the nursing practitioners, especially for the theatre nurses.

This book is first of its kind in anaesthesiology for nurses. The contribution by the author to the field of nursing education is immense one and timely. The author has taken so much of interest to write the book with illustrations wherever necessary. His work must be appreciated. The nursing folk will be ever grateful to him. Moreover, the language is simple and easy to understand. The illustrations are appropriate with the context.

I hope, the nursing educators, nursing students and nursing practitioners will make use of this opportunity and use this book as a textbook for nurses.

My first book “Anaesthesiology for Undergraduates” published in 1998 and was specifically meant for final year MBBS students. It was written as per the syllabus prescribed by the Dr MGR Medical University. Some nursing schools used that book for teaching basics of anaesthesiology for their nursing students. This prompted me to write a small book “Anaesthesiology for Nurses” based on the syllabus prescribed, for them, which may be of use in their day to day work.

In this book I have tried to present the subject in a very simple style both in language as well as in description so that the students will find it easy to understand the matter. Simple illustrations have been provided to make the understanding still easier.

I have given the subject a little more than what is required for a student nurse for the examination purpose. The requirements differ for Diploma in Nursing, BSc (Nursing) and MSc (Nursing) students. The students may consult and seek the advice from their senior nursing teachers as to what extend they have to choose and read.

The chapter on history of anaesthesia is added only for the purpose of making an interesting reading and so also the relevant aspect of history in every chapter, though it is not included in their syllabus.

I wish and hope this book will certainly serve the purpose for which it is intended.9

I sincerely request the Nursing Teachers belonging to various Nursing Schools to give me feedback in the form of valuable criticisms and suggestions to improve the material presented, so that this book may serve more useful purpose in the coming years.

My loving students, both undergraduates and postgraduates consistently inspired me to continue teaching for more than two and a half decades. I am grateful to them for their love to me.

I am very grateful to all my patients for all that they taught me, who submitted themselves for anaesthesia and permitted me to learn anaesthesiology nearly for the past three and a half decades.

I am greatly indebted to my good friend Dr K S Mayilvaganan, Colon-Rectal Surgeon Director, J J Hospital, Madurai, the President of Association of Colon Rectal Surgeons of India, for the immense help he rendered in bringing out this book.

Miss B Bhuvanadevi of J J Hospital, Madurai, has done the computer work for this book. I very sincerely appreciate and thank her profusely for the excellent work done.

I am grateful to all those faculties in various nursing colleges who recommended my book “Anaesthesiology for Under-graduates” for their nursing students which prompted me to bring out a book for them.

Mrs Susheela Packianathan, BSc (Nursing) RNRMEd, Dip PH (USA), MA, BGL, Former Dean, CSI Jeyaraj Annapackiam College of Nursing, Madurai Ramnad Dioces and Mrs Josephine, MSc (Nursing), MA (Psychology), M Phil (Sociology, BGL, PhD (Nursing), the Registrar, Tamil Nadu Nurses and Midwives Council, Chennai, have carefully gone through the book and gave forward. I am extremely grateful to them.

My very sincere gratitude is due to Mr R Jayanandan, Author coordinator of M/s Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers, Chennai, for the excellent and encouraging coordinating work he did with regard to this book.

I sincerely thank M/s Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd. New Delhi, for bringing out this book in a very presentable form in a short time.