Cases in Pre-hospital and Retrieval Medicine has been written by two experienced flight doctors who have worked for helicopter retrieval services in the UK, Australia and Israel.

The narrative formats of the cases demonstrate how challenges in the field are met and overcome.

Section A has cases that are focused on general pre-hospital assessment and stabilization. Section B dwells more on problems related to retrieval. It goes into depth on the preparation and stabilization of the patient prior to transfer, and also covers some difficult ethical and administrative issues. The last section has special cases - scenarios such as in-flight medical emergency on commercial flights, EMS planning for mass gathering events and aircraft issues. The appendix is a collection of pictorial guides on practical procedures, checklists and mnemonics. One could argue that more detail could be added in some of the discussions but I believe the authors have struck the correct balance. Appropriate references and further reading are listed for each case.

The audience is doctors working in pre-hospital and retrieval medicine especially those from the disciplines of Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine. Paramedics and flight nurses wishing to upskill will find this an excellent read. The book is beautifully presented and clearly set out. There are excellent colour photos to set-up each scenario. This is not a handbook—it is a study guide. The breadth of material covered is essentially the core curriculum for Retrieval Medicine but is so accessible that it will be useful to a wider audience.