Book Review

Pediatric Cardiovascular Medicine

N Engl J Med 2001; 344:237January 18, 2001

Article

Pediatric Cardiovascular Medicine
Edited by James H. Moller and Julien I.E. Hoffman. 1004 pp., illustrated. Philadelphia, Churchill Livingstone, 2000. $225. ISBN: 0-443-07677-4

As pediatric cardiology continues to evolve, the updating of older textbooks and the publication of new ones require keeping up with advances in surgical, diagnostic, and interventional (catheter-based) procedures. Rapidly expanding knowledge of normal and abnormal cardiac development and of the role of genetic factors in causing cardiac and vascular disease in children also requires frequent updating. Pediatric Cardiovascular Medicine attempts to do all this.

The book has four sections. Section I, which comprises seven chapters, is devoted to the scientific background of pediatric cardiology. The first chapter is a lucid, up-to-date review of normal and abnormal cardiac development. The following chapter deals with investigative techniques in genetics and reviews the genetic causes of cardiac and vascular disease in children. The remaining five chapters in this section cover cardiac physiology and myocardial function, fetal circulation, cardiac function, myocardial blood flow, and the control of pulmonary vasculature. Section II comprises 10 chapters on diagnostic methods. It is refreshing to see the history and physical examination presented first and considered the keystone of diagnosis. Most of the expected diagnostic methods are covered, but the omission of any discussion of magnetic resonance imaging is surprising.

Section III contains 28 chapters dealing with structural heart disease. Each cardiac defect is covered in a well-organized, readable fashion. Excellent illustrations and graphs accompany each chapter, and appropriate tables appear throughout the section. Section IV covers other, acquired heart diseases and consists of 19 chapters. Finally, an appendix lists all the drugs likely to be used by a pediatric cardiologist, with their dosages.

This book has many strengths. First, it contains an enormous fund of information. It is well organized, the authors are highly competent, and the illustrations and graphs are excellent. The first section is an excellent review of the scientific basis of pediatric cardiology. The chapters on echocardiography are informative and the illustrations excellent. Many of the black-and-white echocardiograms are also reproduced in color, in an 11-page color atlas. Sections III and IV are also informative, well written, and up to date. In the appendix, the table of drug dosages includes a column of useful comments pointing out possible complications.

Pediatric Cardiovascular Medicine would be an excellent choice not only for a pediatric cardiologist but also for a cardiologist who cares for adults with congenital cardiac defects, because in addition to a chapter devoted to congenital heart disease in adults, nearly every chapter on a specific cardiac defect discusses long-term follow-up and possible late complications.

Jacqueline A. Noonan, M.D.
University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY 40536

Citing Articles (1)

Citing Articles

1. 1

   Christine Harris. 2010. The Role of the Technologist in Performing a Cardiac MRI (CMR) Exam. , 444-449.
   CrossRef