Book Review: Invasive Hemodynamics in the Catheterization Laboratory: Self-Assessment and Review

Edited by Michael D. Eisenhauer and Morton J. Kern, Remedica Publishing; (March 2002) This book is a comprehensive review and an essential tool for invasive cardiac fellows preparing to sit their boards. It is a step up in intensity from Dubin¹, taking the reader into the clinical realm and offering the reader life-like situations. At BIDMC, we gave the book to one of our technologists preparing for his RCIS board. He found the book to be right on target in preparing him for his board. I believe this book assisted him in passing the board on his first attempt. At first glance, many technologists felt this book was beyond them, but as they studied on, they found themselves gaining a stronger understanding of hemodynamics and becoming increasingly motivated to learn more of the causes and clinical problems facing our patients. I would recommend that this book become part of every teaching program for cardiac professionals learning about hemodynamic monitoring and recording. It should be in every invasive cardiology library. The diagrams and self-assessment questions give the student an understanding of what they will see in the labs. The only changes I would like to see in future editions would be in the layout of the self-assessments. The flipping of pages to find answers makes it a bit distracting. It would be better to have questions on one page and then have the opposite page with the answers (or the publishers should take a cue from Dubin, who used orange film). I would also like to see this book put into a CD format. Maybe the CD could come with the book. I would even suggest a mock board be put at the end of the CD to give the fellow or technologist a better idea of their strengths and weaknesses.

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Information from the publisher (Remedica) 192 pp; Paperback ISBN: 1 901346 33 1 US $45 BOOK OUTLINE: Hemodynamics remain fundamental to appreciating the clinical presentation of many cardiovascular disorders and, in clinical practice, the examination of the pressure waveforms can assist in establishing diagnoses and treatment. This book is a self-assessment and review of invasive hemodynamics, containing a variety of common pressure waveforms organized into a case review format, including questions. The answers discuss interpretation of data, focusing on clinical findings that are helpful for clinical decision-making. The book is designed to stimulate thought and prepare the reader for questions that may be encountered on various board examinations. The questions and answers contain relevant didactic, as well as clinical, information and will provide the motivation for further study of hemodynamic problems in clinical practice. BOOK CONTENTS: Normal hemodynamics Aortic valve hemodynamics Mitral valve hemodynamics Tricuspid valve hemodynamics Pulmonary valve hemodynamics Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy Diastolic dysfunction Tamponade Constriction/restriction Atrial septal defects Congenital heart disease hemodynamics Arrhythmias Left and right ventricular failure Pulmonary hypertension Intra-aortic balloon pumping Coronary hemodynamics Calculations used in hemodynamics