Clinical Cardiology Made Ridiculously Simple

This book is sure to be different from any you come across. It emphasizes a side of medicine that seems to have been forgotten - the old art, the relic stethoscope, the music of the heart, and the human touch. It stresses humanism and patient care - "hands before scans." The book is organized by the five finger approach, which includes the history (the thumb), physical examination, electrocardiogram, x-ray, and additional laboratory testing (the pinkie), which is not by coincidence the smallest finger.The uniqueness of the book comes from Dr. Chizner's writing style. He approaches challenging topics with simplicity and clarity and describes them to the fullest. This book has all the information you could possibly want on cardiology - how to read electrocardiograms, echocardiography, nuclear medicine, and cardiac catheterization. The newest edition even includes updated guidelines on both hypertension and cholesterol! All these chapters have organized tables, algorithms, and flow charts. For those preparing for boards, there is an amazing cardiovascular pharmacology chapter (antiarrhythmics, antiplatelet agents, etc.). It has drug mechanisms, clinical indications, and side effects. The second half of the book puts it all together, with chapters focusing on coronary artery disease, heart failure, acute pericarditis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and more. Everything is written from a clinician's perspective, discussing physical findings, appropriate testing, and management. It is easy to read and you will enjoy every page. But the special part of this book comes from the practical clinical knowledge, passed down through the generations. Dr. Chizner shares these valuable tricks of the trade or "cardiac pearls."I was introduced to the work of Dr. Chizner when I first started medical school. His books and articles had an enormous impact on me. I spoke with him many times over the phone and eventually decided to do an away rotation with him. My clinical experience with this master clinician was inspirational and uplifting. It is something I will never forget and hope to carry with me as I start residency. He taught through stories, as did his mentor Dr. W Proctor Harvey. Through those stories he brought to life clinical cardiology. Using our basic senses with the aid of the stethoscope and tuning in to the music of the heart can provide valuable clinical information. That is, if we decide to listen. Analogous to picking out instruments when listening to music, cardiac auscultation requires patience, selective tuning, and a love for the art. This is the "fun part of medicine."Dr. Harvey defined a cardiac pearl as a fact or finding that either makes a diagnosis or provides a clue that leads to the diagnosis. Like a pearl, it does not lose its luster over time. It is just as helpful today as it was 40 years ago. Dr. Chizner continues the tradition of Dr. Harvey. He is an intermix of a cardiologist - carrying the torch forward for the advancements in diagnostic and therapeutics against heart disease while staying rooted in the art of bedside cardiology. I had a unique opportunity to learn about the lyrics, rhythm, and music of the heart. Trust your ears! They are better than any test.

Like one of the posts below, this is my first time ever reviewing something on Amazon. The best thing would be for you to do an actual rotation with Dr. Chizner, but reading the book is a close second. I read this book at the end of my 4th year while doing a rotation with Dr. Chizner. I found the book to be an outstanding review of essentially every key concept, physical exam (particularly with auscultation), medication, and treatment related to cardiology. What is amazing about this book is the breadth of material that is covered so concisely. In addition, key clinical pearls are clearly presented, such as how to identify a benign v.s. a pathologic heart murmur simply by asking the right questions, observing the patient, and listening with your stethoscope. It's exciting to be able to examine a patient with a heart murmur and then know with confidence that your diagnosis of is correct! This was the perfect book to read before starting my internal medicine residency to review key concepts in medicine and cardiology. I definitely recommend it!

I am not sure how to rate this. I was looking for something I could read in an afternoon. This is a substantial book. It is 350 8.5x11 pages of small print.I have read the intro and the first few pages from many chapters. It is well written and very informative. While the concepts are "ridiculously simple" there are lots and lots of them.

I am currently a cardiology fellow, soon to be graduating.Throughout my medical career, from med student to now, there have been multiple times that I have opened this text book for an explanation of simple ideas to complicated ones. Dr. Chizner does an excellent job making the topic of cardiology "ridiculously simple." This was probably the only medical textbook I've read that didn't make me want to fall asleep because it doesn't read like a traditional textbook. It feels like someone is talking to you and actually teaching you something. It does a great job giving the major points of a disease in just a few paragraphs and therefore making it a great, quick and easy reference book as well.Simply put, this is one of those textbook that should be in the bookshelf for anyone interested in cardiology.

I ended up returning this purchase. I wanted a resource that was to the point and "go to" reference. Although this book contained valuable information, it was too much like a textbook. Just wasn't what I was looking for in a clinical review book.

Cardio has always been one of my weaker subjects, primarily because I find it boring and over-complicated in many texts. This book is a pleasure as it does not over-complicate issues and moves slowly. Although at times it feels as if the book is flying through subjects paragraph by paragraph, it often re-iterates itself and defines terms that can be frequently forgotten. The simplistic figures are a nice visual assist in remembering various concepts. I think I can actually retain the JVP wave forms after six years of medical education.Overall, I recommend this book. Keep in mind when reading my review, that cardio is my weak subject, I am not a cardiologist and I suspect it may be over-simplified for those into cardiology. However, I think it would suffice for any clinical rotation at any level (except cardio fellowship).

Now I don't usually give 5 stars for no good reason but this book is just outstanding. Suitable for all grades of doctors although it might be a bit too technical for medical students (having said that, I wish I had this book during my cardiology rotation in my medical school, it somehow makes cardiology so much less complex and much more enjoyable). The only person that doesn't like this book is my wife as for the past couple of weeks (since I bought it), I have been spending more time with the book than with her.