This interesting book about the medical and surgical aspects of coronary artery ischemia has been written for trainees and certified surgeons who are searching for a “refresher course” or a “summary” of the general aspects of investigations and therapeutic agents related to coronary artery disease. The format and writing style are convenient and smooth, making reading truly manageable.
The whole spectrum of coronary artery disease is debated in this book. Among the different topics reviewed by the editors, the overview on the investigation of ischemic heart disease is particularly clear and concise. All aspects of the noninvasive methods, including their pros and cons, are covered in detail. As a nonradiologist clinician who has to deal on a daily basis with these investigations, I found this section quite helpful.
The overview of myocardial protection and myocardial reperfusion injury is concise and structured, bringing the reader straight to the essential topics, avoiding the so-common “molecular dryness” of such a basic topic. The diagrams and tables are not too complex and are succinct, and the major points are efficiently discussed and summarized by the author, which I particularly appreciated.
The chapters on the surgical complications of ischemic heart disease and conduits for coronary artery surgery fulfil the reader’s expectations on all aspects of these subjects. All classic complications related either to percutaneous transluminal coronary angiography or to ischemic disease itself are discussed with an adequate and updated literature review. The same comments apply to the section on vascular conduits where reference to survival, related complications and specific biologic properties of all types of conduits in current use are extensively discussed.
Two chapters devoted to alternative approaches for coronary bypass grafting are interesting but are redundant and provide limited coverage of the subject. The practice of ventricular fibrillation with intermittent aortic cross-clamping is discussed and presented as an actual alternative technique, which is surprising.
In general, this book offers a decent, honest overview and fulfils the need of any surgeon looking for a brief, concise, current review of coronary artery surgery.