Mayo Clinic Cardiology Review

Rating:
Summary: Excelent
Review: Excelent book. Very well ilustrated, the information is concise but complete, it have clinical cases, and very beautiful pictures. Very useful book.

Rating:
Summary: Repaso excelente para los cadiologos e intenistas
Review: If you want to keep your practice updated,you will need this book and of course the entire video tape library. The last review course was released on SEPT.,2000

Rating:
Summary: Great Textbook for Membership Examinations
Review: This book really blew me away. It is the best cardiology book I have read. All the major trials are summarized. The multiple choice questions are great. This book covers all the cardiology you will need to know for membership exams. It is a pity there is not an English cardiology textbook as good as this. Congratulations to the authors.

Rating:
Summary: Better than others
Review: Unfortunately, there is a dearth of "cardiology-review books", especially when it comes to ABIM Cardiology Boards preparation. There is NOT a single review book written keeping in mind that it has be used ONLY for ABIM cardiology boards. This book at least tries to achieve this goal, but does a mediocre job. It has many expert academicians as its authors; agreed; but it did not achieve its primary goal. Do you any better choices, unfortunately NOT.

The primary goal of a review book is to remain focused, cut the extra fat and present to it readers "only the needed facts". In medical academia, there are three levels of books, in my humble opinion. FIRST, the standard texts, which are written primarily for the thorough discussion of the disease and serve as reference books, in cardiology its example will be Hurst's textbook. SECOND, the review books, which are primarily written to pass the exams and it assumes that the reader has the basic understanding of the subject. THIRD, the in-between books which claim to be review books but goes beyond the "call of duty" and starts explaining pathophysiology and unrelated material which is extremely redundant approach for a review book.

Mayo Clinic Cardiology Review 2nd Ed belongs to third category. But then why it is popular and why I am reading it, moreover why I am writing such an extensive review? Because, we don't have any decent book for second category, so this is the logical choice till someone writes a better review-book (a real review book, not 1381 paged book). I hope that while writing the third edition Joseph G. Murphy MD keeps in mind that this is a "REVIEW BOOK" not a "TEXTBOOK"!

Imran S. Virk MD
Fellow, Division of Cardiology
Department of Internal Medicine
Michigan State University, East Lansing

Rating:
Summary: Better than others
Review: Unfortunately, there is a dearth of "cardiology-review books", especially when it comes to ABIM Cardiology Boards preparation. There is NOT a single review book written keeping in mind that it has be used ONLY for ABIM cardiology boards. This book at least tries to achieve this goal, but does a mediocre job. It has many expert academicians as its authors; agreed; but it did not achieve its primary goal. Do you any better choices, unfortunately NOT.

The primary goal of a review book is to remain focused, cut the extra fat and present to it readers "only the needed facts". In medical academia, there are three levels of books, in my humble opinion. FIRST, the standard texts, which are written primarily for the thorough discussion of the disease and serve as reference books, in cardiology its example will be Hurst's textbook. SECOND, the review books, which are primarily written to pass the exams and it assumes that the reader has the basic understanding of the subject. THIRD, the in-between books which claim to be review books but goes beyond the "call of duty" and starts explaining pathophysiology and unrelated material which is extremely redundant approach for a review book.

Mayo Clinic Cardiology Review 2nd Ed belongs to third category. But then why it is popular and why I am reading it, moreover why I am writing such an extensive review? Because, we don't have any decent book for second category, so this is the logical choice till someone writes a better review-book (a real review book, not 1381 paged book). I hope that while writing the third edition Joseph G. Murphy MD keeps in mind that this is a "REVIEW BOOK" not a "TEXTBOOK"!

Imran S. Virk MD
Fellow, Division of Cardiology
Department of Internal Medicine
Michigan State University, East Lansing