We may not be the most impartial commentators, but it seems to us that the heart
is the most interesting organ in the body. It beats in a tightly regulated, finely
coordinated, gracefully rhythmic fashion to distribute blood and oxygen to all
the other organs. It does this more than 2 billion times in the lifetime of an average
human. It can accelerate to power an Olympic athlete for 26 miles in a little
over 2 hours, and it can weaken to hold your 86-year-old patient hostage in her
favorite chair.
Yet the heart, so central to the metaphors of our language, has not revealed its
secrets readily. This may be because until relatively recently, it was believed the
heart was the only organ that could not be cut (heart surgery was unthinkable from
the time of Aristotle until the late 1800s). But this reflects the heart’s eternal
mystique. Since the invention of the stethoscope we have used technology to
reveal the innermost workings of the heart. In recent times, technological advance
has been ever more rapid. Indeed, the rapidity of this technological advance is what
led us to writing this book. Meanwhile, the bulk of cardiovascular disease remains
the realm of the generalists. From whose perspective, knowing when to make use
of specialists and knowing how to view their input in the context of the whole
patient is increasingly important, yet increasingly difficult. So this is the aim of our
book: to sit beside you when you wonder, “Should I refer this patient to a
cardiologist”; to look over your shoulder when you receive the cardiology clinic
letter; to whisper in your ear the normal left ventricular internal diameter. In short,
if our book can be your partner in working with your cardiologist then it has been
successful. If it can answer questions the answers to which you once knew, it has
been valuable. If it can explain the answers to questions you didn’t know you
wanted to ask, then it has been worth our while and worth your money. We care
deeply that this book fulfils your needs and welcome any feedback on its content,
explanatory style, or level of detail.
Download here: Cardiology explained
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