Book Review: Invasive Cardiology, 2nd Edition - A Manual for Cath Lab Personnel

I recently had the opportunity to read and review a new book by Sandy Watson and Kenneth Gorski, entitled Invasive Cardiology, 2nd Edition - A Manual for Cath Lab Personnel. This book was particularly interesting to me because I worked this book’s first edition. I wondered, Would I purchase this book if I were out of school, registered and working for a living? I remembered that after the first edition was published, I was teased by fellow staff members about how much money I would be earning for my work on the book. I laughed, because I know how much compensation the contributors to this book received: two copies of the book once it was published. Not exactly a big payback for hours, weeks and months of personal time spent, is it? It was written by fellow professionals who had been there and done that. I appreciate that they wrote this book simply for the love of the field. So my review of this book may be biased, but it will be honest. Couldn’t put it down! A real page turner! Excitement on every page! What? According to Webster’s (my unabridged 1902 version), the definition for a book is as follows: …a written or printed narrative. Harry Potter and The DaVinci Code certainly fall under this heading. However, Invasive Cardiology, 2nd Edition, by Sandy Watson and Kenneth Gorski does not in any way meet this definition. On the other hand, Webster’s Dictionary also defines a book as: …a series of these (narratives) designed to perpetuate information. On that score, the book does an admirable job. This is not the type of book you read from cover to cover in your easy chair on a Friday night. Rather, Invasive Cardiology can be consulted on a moment’s notice to assist in understanding a concept, a procedure and many other clinical aspects of invasive cardiology, and can answer questions the reader may be afraid to ask (lest you reveal your ignorance). I have found that this book comes in handy when I want to impress my coworkers! It’s easy to spend twenty or more dollars on a Harry Potter novel and feel satisfied with your choice of reading material. I also realize that after you are finally out of school, it becomes very difficult to spend your hard-earned money on medical reference books. Personally, I feel that life is short and I’d rather go see a movie, read a good book, go for a ride on my motorcycle, or simply enjoy my personal life. Typically, if I have a professional question, I consult the web. But on the web, I may find twenty or more pages of sites containing my search word, which is rather frustrating. Oftentimes, web searches can lead to more questions than they actually answer. Invasive Cardiology, however, will help you find exactly what you’re looking for and will provide accurate, expert information on a variety of topics. I was recently training a new staff member and explaining the concept of afterload for intra-aotic balloon pump therapy. I realized that I wanted a clear, concise definition that would be easily understood by this new employee. I looked it up in the Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine and Nursing, but found nothing. I looked it up in the Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine by E. Topol, and found the term mentioned, but it was being used as an effect or result, with no detailed explanation of the term itself. In the Invasive Cardiology 2nd Edition, Manual for Cath Lab Personnel, however, I found an excellent definition in the very first chapter. If you want to gain a solid understanding of 12-lead ECGs, this book offers it. If you have a problem understanding how X-rays are made, it’s here in the book in easy-to-understand terms. How about cardiac pharmacology? The book has an excellent chapter to assist anyone, from the novice to the old pro. Is the book perfect? There is no gold standard in the cardiology field. All cath labs have their own way of doing things and this book gives the reader the opportunity to see things from someone else’s point of view. An example of this is found in the chapter on Balloon Pericardiotomy. I call it pericardial centesis. The authors’ technique requires a 9 French dilator, a J-wire, an Extra-stiff guidewire, a drainage catheter and an Inoue balloon. Our cath lab uses a spine needle, a 7 French sheath, a pigtail, stiff tubing, a J-wire and a 1-liter evacuated bottle. The authors’ technique seems rather lengthy in terms of set-up and procedure time I don’t know, I’ve never tried it their way, and our cath lab doesn’t stock Inoue balloons. This book thus does not perfectly match up with our center’s way of doing things, but I’m sure there is more than one correct way to do many things in the cath lab. I have been a cath lab working stiff and for the past twenty-nine and a half years, and have specifically assisted in interventional cardiology procedures for twenty-five years. I personally want to thank the authors for the sacrifice of their personal time to write a book that is designed to disseminate valuable, easy-to-understand information. Their only reward are a couple of copies and the satisfaction of helping others become better, more knowledgeable cardiovascular professionals. Invasive Cardiology, 2nd Edition contains helpful information and will be sitting on my desk as an excellent reference source for a long time to come.

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