Book Review

Electrical Diseases of the Heart: Genetics, Mechanisms, Treatment, Prevention

N Engl J Med 2008; 359:103July 3, 2008

Article

Electrical Diseases of the Heart: Genetics, Mechanisms, Treatment, Prevention
Edited by Ihor Gussak and Charles Antzelevitch. 968 pp., illustrated. London, Springer, 2008. $229. ISBN: 978-1-84628-853-1

It must have been a daunting task to produce a comprehensive account of the extraordinary advances in the genetics, molecular mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. Ihor Gussak and Charles Antzelevitch, the editors of this book, should be commended for a thoughtful and thorough review of these advances in our knowledge of cardiac electrophysiology.

The book contains 63 chapters that are organized into 7 sections. The contributors are leading authorities. The first contribution is a historical introduction, entitled “The Past and Promise of Basic Cardiac Electrophysiology.” Its author, Harry Fozzard, chronicles such major discoveries as the electrocardiogram (1906), the action potential (early 1900s), the voltage clamp method (1952), and direct current defibrillation (1962) in a superb narrative. Each of the book's sections contains up to 20 chapters that offer detailed accounts of virtually all aspects of basic and clinical electrophysiology. The chapters on the basic mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias that follow are discussions of diagnostic testing, heritable conditions, cardiac channelopathies that are induced by drugs, treatment, risk stratification, and sudden death from cardiac causes. Some chapters deal with clinical topics that are of broad interest, such as chapter 50, “The Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator: Technical and Clinical Considerations.” Others, such as chapter 17, “Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Health and Cardiac Disease,” will have narrower appeal. Many chapters succeed in bridging the gap between basic and clinical electrophysiology.

Overall, the chapters are well written, comprehensive, and extensively referenced. The images and figures are clear, well labeled, and relevant. The basic science and emerging topics in clinical cardiac electrophysiology are thoroughly covered. Especially valuable are the chapters on emerging topics and rare disorders, such as short-QT syndrome and Andersen–Tawil syndrome. The book will serve best when used selectively as a source of information as needed. The editors have thoughtfully chosen the topics and the contributors, and they have produced a timely and definitive text that will be useful to all who have an interest in cardiac arrhythmia.

N.A. Mark Estes, M.D.
Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111
nestes@tuftsmedicalcenter.org