Learning Cardiac Auscultation: From Essentials To Expert Clinical Interpretation
by Allen J. Taylor /
2015 / English / EPUB
6.6 MB Download
The book contains a series of core auscultation “lessons”. All are case based and describe auscultation as it relates to a patient and in terms of the gold standard for interpretation of heart sounds. Auscultation is the term for listening to the internal sounds of the body, usually using a stethoscope. It is performed for the purposes of examining the circulatory system and respiratory system (heart sounds and breath sounds). As a topic it is one of the oldest in cardiology but its utility should never be underestimated. In this era of hugely expensive imaging tests, auscultation is a cornerstone of efficient diagnosis and therefore needs a fresh look. The core content of this book describes the search for diagnostic clues within patients’ heart sounds and as such this book provides superb practical advice in the form of a series of clinical pearls reflecting what accurate diagnosis with auscultation can mean to patient prognosis and outcome. This often subtle but ultimately simple subject often produces complex results and these must be considered in light of modern next-level diagnostic methods and patient managementThe foundation of this handbook lies in the supremacy of careful, clinical observation in medicine. The science and application of auscultation, albeit not without its imperfections, represent a learnable, tangible, personal approach to assessment of the heart and remains crucial in medical practice. Todays medicine tends towards the high tech, discarding simple approaches that can and should steer clinicians towards when to utilize expensive testing, and at the most can, potentially, outperform technology for accurate cardiovascular diagnosis. Within a cost conscious, personalized approach to medicine, the art of clinical examination of the heart could never be more alive, or more important. Technology needs a clinically informed platform upon which to provide benefits to patients with careful clinical observation providing proper identification of patients in need of additional testing and avoiding unnecessary expensive testing.
Learning Cardiac Auscultation: From Essentials to Expert Clinical Interpretation provides a clinically-oriented approach to the astute observation of heart sounds and other aspects of the cardiovascular examination. It describes key clinical and auscultation features, and clinical clues to the diagnosis. More importantly, auscultation of the heart should not just end with a simple diagnosis, but an unearthing of nuances of the diagnosis, for example, describing the possible severity or diagnostic implications of the auscultation findings.
