Aniello Iannuzzi, General Practitioner, Coonabarabran, NSW
This book goes far beyond what its title suggests. Not only does it provide therapeutic guidelines, but it also addresses current diagnostic and epidemiological considerations relevant to the management of cardiovascular disease in Australia. In essence, it is a mini-textbook; it is much more than a guide.
The first chapter is a concise summary of cardiovascular drugs available in Australia. The next two chapters deal with smoking and the prevention of cardiovascular disease. The rest of the book is more like how one would expect the guidelines to be set out, with chapters devoted to each category of cardiovascular disease (for example, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, heart failure, arrhythmia). There are interesting sections on preoperative considerations for cardiac patients and deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis for airline travellers.
A most noteworthy feature of this book is that non-pharmacological therapies are given just as much emphasis as drug prescribing. It is a salient reminder for clinicians that our roles extend far beyond just selecting medicines for our patients. Current national recommendations on exercise and diet are included in the text.
The information contained in the guidelines is succinct, current and highly relevant to all clinicians. Medical students, junior doctors, pharmacists and general medical practitioners could comfortably use this book as their complete resource for the management of cardiovascular disease. Specialist physicians and cardiologists may find this a useful tool to compare their own individual management regimens against those most commonly used by their colleagues. Hospitals would find this a most useful addition to libraries and ward reference collections.
