Book Review: 100 Questions and Answers About Peripheral Arterial Disease (by Emile R. Mohler, III, MD and Alan T. Hirsch, MD)

100 Questions and Answers About Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) (ISBN978-0-7637-5866-0; Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Boston, 2010), is a 100+ page paperback book written by two of the leading experts in the area of Vascular Medicine: Drs. Mohler and Hirsch. Dr. Emile R. Mohler, III is an associate professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the director of their Vascular Medicine program and has published over a 100 manuscripts and edited four books, and is well recognized as one of the preeminent leaders in the vascular community. Dr. Alan T. Hirsch is professor of Epidemiology and Community Health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. He directs the Vascular Medicine Program at Minneapolis Heart Institute (Abbott Northwestern Hospital’s Vascular Center) and has published extensively on PAD and serves on several committees for the American Heart Association for vascular diseases. These two authors are thought leaders in the area of vascular disease. They are extremely enthusiastic and an enlightening source for the vascular community. The current book was written for the patient with PAD, family members and others concerned with PAD. The cover of the book is inviting and catches the reader’s attention, drawing them in to read more. The book begins with a remembrance of Robert L. David, a successful individual who suffered from advanced PAD. This testimonial by the patient’s family helps reinforce for the reader that PAD is a very real and personal disease. There is a patient biography that helps the reader further understand how PAD can manifest its symptoms.

100 Questions and Answers About Peripheral Arterial Disease has forewords with perspectives from five different treating specialties — from vascular medicine, surgery, radiology, primary care and the vascular nurse. Each of these perspectives demonstrates the collaborative approach that Drs. Mohler and Hirsh took when writing this book. The book is written in a comprehensive and very readable fashion for the patient with PAD. The book is divided into eleven parts, each focusing on a series of typical questions that one might have regarding PAD. As such, the book covers 100 questions and answers in the eleven sections. The book begins with asking, What is PAD? and progresses to how PAD is diagnosed, treated and what the reader should expect from the disease and the treating disciplines. There is ample use of figures, diagrams, photos, and tables as well as sidebars, which help focus the reader. This book should be available to all of our patients, families, and those concerned about PAD. 100 Questions and Answers About Peripheral Arterial Disease is very readable and provides a comprehensive educational resource. Drs. Mohler and Hirsch should be congratulated on another work well done!

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*Loyola University, Interventional Cardiology, Vascular and Endovascular Medicine, Maywood, Illinois; §West Virginia University, Medicine and Surgery, Charleston, West Virginia.

Jones and Bartlett Publishers https://www.jbpub.com/catalog/9780763758660/