The Guide to Cardiology [antikvár]

PREFACE There are several excellent encyclopedic textbooks of cardiology. The busy schedule of the intern, resident, cardiology fellow, general practitioner, internist, and cardiovascular nurse does not always allow time for reading these books in their entirety. The Guide to Cardiology provides a broad overview of diagnostic testing and a synopsis of major topics in adult cardiology that can be read over a relatively brief period of time. This text is aimed primarily at interns, residents, cardiology fellows, internists, general practitioners, medical students on internal medicine or cardiology rotations, and cardiovascular nurses. The first eight chapters deal with diagnosis and contain separate sections on the cardiac history, physical examination, electrocardiography, chest x-ray, echocardiography and pulse-wave recordings, exercise testing, ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring, nuclear cardiology, and cardiac catheterization. The remaining chapters deal with specific topics in adult cardiology, with emphasis on those diseases the health care professional is most likely to encounter, such as coronary artery disease. Thus, there are separate chapters on angina, coronary spasm, myocardial infarction, newer therapies for myocardial infarction, lipid abnormalities, and cardiac rehabilitation. Recent advances covered include two-dimensional echocardiography, electrophysiologic testing for atrioventricular conduction abnormalities, calcium antagonists, streptokinase therapy for myocardial infarction, chronic beta-blockade postmy-ocardial infarction for reducing mortality, vasodilator therapy for congestive heart failure, newly released beta-blockers, coronary and renal angioplasty, and therapy for hyperlipidemia. There are separate chapters on the role of the cardiology consultant in caring for patients with cardiac and noncardiac surgery. The diagnostics section of the book is heavily illustrated and contains many examples of typical echocardiographic, radiographic, and cardiac catheterization findings. Cardiology is a rapidly moving field and therapeutic regimens, drugs, drug doses, and indications for drugs frequentiy change. The drugs, indications for drugs, and dosages throughout this book are those commonly used by practicing cardiologists, and have been recommended in the literature. Not all drugs, doses, and indications have at the time of this writing been FDA approved. Therefore, it is suggested that the package inserts or Physicians' Desk Reference be consulted as well for drug indications, contraindications, side effects, and dosages as recommended by the FDA. While the procedures and treatments in this text are based upon current standard practices, they should serve as a guide and not as the sole reference or sole determinant to practice and therapy of individual patients. I wish to acknowledge Candy Gulko for help with the initial plans for the book, Dr. Leonard Lilly for review of the manuscript, Judith A. Kloner for help with proofreading and suggestions, Alexander Neumann and Drs. Kenneth M. Borrow and Laurence J. Sloss for help with the illustrations. To Mary Gillan for typing, to Laura Ducey, Nancy Watterson, and Ellen Holzman for secretarial assistance and to Cheryl Howell and Robert Huriey at John Wiley & Sons for their assistance with the organization and preparation of the book. R.A.K. Xi