"The advantage of the new Islam single use bone marrow needle lies in its simplicity..."
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Manual of Bone Marrow Examination by Anwarul Islam Trafford Publishing
book review by Barbara Bamberger Scott
Dr Anwarul Islam, MD, PhD, is the inventor of a revolutionary bone marrow biopsy needle (called the Islam needle) that incorporates a core retention component, in response various problems with other devices, mainly, failure to retain the bone marrow sample after the needle is withdrawn.
This is the second edition of his book, Manual of Bone Marrow Examination, published fifteen years after the first. During that time, other single-use needles like the one he first patented have come on the market, but, the author asserts, these newer models differ from the Islam needle because they contain too many extra parts and their use requires lengthy multiple steps. So he has now introduced a newer simpler Islam needle using advanced technology, which he describes in this edition. In all, the needle's development and refinement has taken over thirty years. The author, a clinical associate professor of medicine at the State University of New York–Buffalo, compares his invention process to Edwin Land's nearly-30 year study of and refinement of the first practical Polaroid camera.
This manual demonstrates a step-by-step method for procuring and examining bone marrow and illustrates the kinds of bone marrow samples that "play a crucial role in the diagnosis and management of various hematological as well as non-hematological conditions." It was written for health professionals, oncologists, hematologists, and others practicing in the medical field. To a layman who reads the book, one message will be loud and clear: The Islam needle has the potential to save the patient a great deal of pain and anxiety. Because its use is faster, more efficient, with a more guaranteed result of retaining the bone marrow sample (as it is described by its inventor), the usually very painful and indeed frightening procedure of bone marrow extraction would be reduced to a minimum of time and complication. Dr Islam has included vivid, high definition color photographs and some black and white ones plus hand drawn illustrations—"a step-by-step guide with illustrations demonstrates how to obtain aspirations and trephine (core) biopsy specimens at the bedside"—that clearly show both the process of harvesting the bone marrow samples, as well as some slides of the resulting successful samples gathered using the Islam needle.
This book has two major purposes: to explain the complex process of bone marrow extraction to the author's fellow professionals and to emphasize the efficacy of Islam needle in the process by highlighting its successes in procuring consistent, clear, usable samples with a minimum of steps and extra equipment. It accomplishes both purposes thoroughly.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review.