Cardiology for Veterinary Technicians and Nurses
H. Edward Durham Jr, CVT, RVT, LATG, VTS
۴۸۶ pages. 2017. Wiley Blackwell.
ISBN 978-0-8138-1353-0. Price $85.99.
Cardiology for Veterinary Technicians and Nurses is anexcellent book, and I highly recommend it to anyone in a veterinary-relatedfield who is interested in cardiology. This book provides comprehensive informationon the topic and will be an excellent resource for veterinary technicians andnurses as well as veterinarians and non-veterinarians with an interest inveterinary cardiology. The explanations of basic and advanced concepts relatedto heart disease in animals are very good.
I found the organization and arrangement of subjectsstraightforward. The content is easy to follow and reads well, which is a featgiven the large number of authors who contributed to the book. Specificinformation is easily located owing to the inclusive table of contents andindex. The illustrations are generally excellent, and the figures in the chapteron thoracic radiography are especially good and complement the text well.Descriptions for obtaining echocardiographic images in the standard planes areclear and understandable. It is particularly useful that tables of reference valuesfor echocardiographic measurements in cats and dogs of several specific breedsare included. There are a few minor omissions and variations in emphasis thatcould have been included, but they do not substantially detract from theoverall value of the book.
An editor’s note at the beginning of the chapter on drugsfor cardiac therapy indicates that dosages of medications are omitted becauseit is not within a technician’s purview to prescribe medications. Although Iunderstand that fact, I disagree with the omission. In clinical practice, atechnician’s knowledge of dosages serves a valuable function in thedouble-checking and efficient preparation of prescriptions as well as for clientcommunication. Interestingly, drug dosages are included in other chapters ofthe book.
This book does not contain any discussion of constant rateinfusion, a basic concept and skill with which technicians should be familiar.Also missing are recommendations for clients on how to monitor their pets forsigns of congestive heart failure at home, such as monitoring sleepingrespiratory rates. The discussion of b-type natriuretic peptide and N-terminalpro b-type natriuretic peptide is incomplete, especially given the robustliterature and growing usefulness of those biomarkers in clinical practice. Thecoverage of genetic markers for congenital and acquired heart disease in dogsand cats is inadequate. Finally, given that cardiologic abnormalities ofcamelids are mentioned, it seems odd that those of other species commonly keptas pets, such as ferrets and parrots, are not.
Because this book generally provides comprehensive coverageof the topics discussed, it is easy to criticize the few things it lacks.Nevertheless, it provides an overall balanced view of cardiology that will meetthe needs of veterinary technicians and appeal to many veterinarians.
Reviewed by Gary L. Wood, DVM, DACVIM
Cardiology Northwest
Lake Oswego, Ore

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