News and views

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....

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published new guidance on the management of chronic heart failure. This updates and replaces the previous guideline in this area (NICE clinical guideline 5)....

News 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 communication with the patient....

Welcome to the first of a regular series of news and reviews from the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS). Many of you will already be BCS members and so the Society felt our readers would be interested in a regular update on BCS activities. In this first column, Dr Charles Knight, Honorary Secretary of the BCS, gives an overview of the Society and its role in advancing cardiovascular medicine in the UK....

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