News and views

A small study carried out by doctors in Texas, USA, on patients with heart failure suggests that giving a supplement of coenzyme Q10 can help heart failure patients....

News in brief from the world of cardiology....

We continue our series in which Consultant Interventionist Dr Michael Norell takes a sideways look at life in the cath lab... and beyond. In this column, he considers the impact of mobile technology....

The British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) has always had a significant role in education for cardiologists, largely through the BCS Annual Conference. The recognition of broader educational needs for trainees as well as trained cardiologists has led to a strategic change in educational activities within the BCS with a more comprehensive and structured approach to its delivery. In this column Dr Iain A Simpson, Vice President of Education and Research at the BCS, discusses educational activities within the BCS....

Now electrocardiography is used in daily clinical practice, it is probably widely perceived to have lost its exciting mystique but the basic knowledge enabling accurate ECG interpretation is as important to emergency doctors as it is to electrophysiologists. Throughout this book there are many common clinical scenarios, which are well illustrated with good examples of ECGs. The topics covered appear thoroughly researched and supported by numerous references, useful for further reading. The contributors are a large number of senior medical professionals, the majority with a background in Emergency Medicine. ...

Do we need yet another cardiology book? There are already scores of them – a simple internet search provides the evidence! Interestingly, Cardiology Clinical Cases Uncovered, a manageable compendium of 245 pages of cases, is immediately apparent on well known on-line book sales sites. Yes, we do need new cardiology texts. This book is contemporary, real world and targeted at a niche market - junior doctors and medical students....

The second edition of the ESC Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine is heralded as "Europe’s definitive print and online guide to the latest in cardiology". This 2nd edition, a formidable 1,300 pages in 38 chapters, is completely revised and updated since the first edition which appeared in 2005, and it includes new cardiological information in many specific areas, such as pregnancy, choice of imaging techniques, sports medicine and certification, for example. It also has more images and video content, with extensive MCQs, which can be completed to gain EBAC-accredited CME points....

Since the advent of online self-diagnosis sites, such as www.diagnose-me.com, and online doctors (www.netdoctor.co.uk), the increase of knowledgeable patients has been noticeable in GP’s surgeries and specialists alike, with patients often arriving with an expectancy of something being wrong rather than the hope of all being well. To combat this, carefully written and well-presented patient literature – in both online and traditional print matter – has increased massively....

Echocardiography is one of the most widely used diagnostic tests for heart disease. To make sense of an echo is a desirable skill for all those involved in cardiology and this compact handbook does just that. The book contains a total of 23 chapters and is split into three logical parts: essential principles, cardiac imaging techniques and clinical cases. Over half of the chapters are dedicated to clinical cases giving it a strong practical emphasis....

Trial by Fire is a wonderful short but poignant book regarding the historical birth of clinical trial aspects such as randomisation, consent (or abuse of), placebo effect, the need to publish and the importance of respecting the rights of patients. With wit and intelligent story telling, Allan Gaw uses hard to extract documents from historical archives in the developing, predominantly western world to keep the reader enthralled, captivated and appreciative of each stage of development of what we now call the randomised controlled clinical trial involving consenting adults. He chooses wisely six key examples from history to demonstrate the key aspects of trial design. These involve well-known figures such as Queen Cleopatra the VII and Benjamin Franklin, who show us the importance of consent and blinding, and lesser known figures such as Van Helmont and Anton Mesmer, who teach us about bias and the placebo effect....