One of the most time-consuming tasks in clinical medicine is seeking the opinions of specialist colleagues. There is a pressure not only to make referrals appropriate but also to summarize the case in the language of the specialist. This book explains basic physiologic and pathophysiologic mechanisms of cardiovascular disease in a straightforward manner, gives guidelines as to when referral is appropriate, and, uniquely, explains what the specialist is likely to do. It is ideal for any hospital doctor, generalist, or even senior medical student who may need a cardiology opinion, or for that ma.

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 management.

Accompanying compact disc includes examples of pediatric heart sounds in healthy and diseased states.

"This unique resource combines a comprehensive book with innovative audio sounds to help you master cardiac auscultation. The text explains how to identify and interpret normal and common abnormal heart sounds, while the audio lets you actually hear the sounds about which you are learning." -- back cover.

It has been our experience that instruction in physical examination of the heart in medical schools has been deteriorating since the advent of such modern diagnostic tools as two-dimensional echocardiography and nuclear imaging. At best, the teaching has been sketchy and too superficial for the student to appreciate the pathophysiological correlates. Both invasive and the noninvasive modern technologies have contributed substantially to our knowledge and understanding of cardiac physical signs and their pathophysiological correlates. However, both students and teachers alike appear to be mesmerized by technological advances to the neglect of the age-old art, as well as the substantial body of science, of cardiac physical examination. It is also sad to see reputed journals give low priority to articles related to the clinical examination. Our experience is substantiated by a nationwide survey of internal medicine and cardiology training programs, which concluded that the teaching and practice of cardiac auscultation received low emphasis, and perhaps other bedside diagnostic skills as well (1). The state of the problem is well reflected in the concerns expressed in previous publications (2–4), including the 2001 editorial in the American Journal of Medicine (Vol. 110, pp. 233–235), entitled “Cardiac auscultation and teaching rounds: how can cardiac auscultation be resuscitated?”, as well as in the rebuttal, “Selections from current literature. Horton hears a Who but no murmurs—does it matter?” (5).

Heart Sounds Made Incredibly Easy! is an entertaining, easy-to-read, practical, and informative reference that includes an audio CD of heart sounds for those who must accurately interpret heart sounds and understand their implications, diagnosis, and treatments. Revealing the importance of accurate heart sound interpretation, this Incredibly Easy! title walks the reader through more than 65 heart sounds. The book includes an audio index and cues to the CD throughout the text for each sound, which allows the reader to listen to the sounds sequentially with the book or review them out of sequence.

This audiotape reviews over 50 heart sounds encountered in patient care.