Handbook of cardiac electrophysiology

March 2008    Volume 15, Issue 2   Br J Cardiol 2008;15:75

Authors:
Paul R Roberts

This handbook is a comprehensive and practical overview of all aspects of electrophysiology. It covers fundamentals such as the set-up of an electrophysiology laboratory and the diagnostic tools used to investigate the patient with an arrhythmia or syncope.

Editors: Natale A, Wazni O
Publisher: Informa Healthcare, London, 2007
ISBN: 184184620
Price: £110

There are sections on implantation techniques for pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronisation devices (CRT). The latter is an excellent introduction to the practical aspects of asessing the patient, implanting and extracting devices. A good section of the book details the approach to interventional electrophysiology including basic principles behind diagnostic electrophysiology testing and catheter ablation of the most commonly encountered arrhythmias. The handbook also has comprehensive coverage of the investigation of patients with syncope with classification of the causes in a pragmatic manner, although it lacks describing a therapeutic approach to the various treatment options for different causes of syncope e.g. vasovagal syncope.

The book is intended for those in training, academics and practicing electrophysiologists but is best suited for the cardiology trainee considering or embarking on a career in electrophysiology. The text is well written and extensively illustrated although I found it inelegant to include all of the colour illustrations at the start of the book and felt the reproduction of some of the electrocardiograms could be better.

There are a number of introductory texts to various aspects of electrophysiology such as pacemakers and ICDs, syncope and invasive electrophysiology. This text manages to include all of these very successfully within the same cover.

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