Heart Sounds Made Easy

Book excerpt: Awarded The British Medical Association Student Textbook Award 2009, this short and accessible book comes with an interactive CD of heart sounds recorded from actual patients using the latest digital audio technology. Cardiac auscultation is one of the most difficult clinical skills to acquire and competence in this area is extremely variable. With the CD the user can listen to a recording and either eliminate or enhance the different components until they are confident that they have correctly identified the sounds in all phases of the cardiac cycle. This Second Edition uses the latest software and includes new features, such as the ability to slow the heart sounds down without altering their pitch. The layout of the CD has been improved to make it quicker to access. New questions and answers in both the book and the CD allow readers to monitor their knowledge and progress. The visual representation of the cardiac cycle also helps readers understand the origin of the heart sounds. This CD is suitable for use in all PC/Macs which have a tray-loading CD-ROM drive. It is not compatible with slot-loading CD-ROM drives. The book provides a simple guide to cardiac auscultation along with useful teaching points and summaries The interactive CD recordings allow the various components of each heart sound to be eliminated and restored to aid understanding Using this package of book and CD the reader can gain a full understanding of cardiac auscultation in minutes that can take years to learn in clinical practice This CD is suitable for use in all PC/Macs which have a tray-loading CD-ROM drive. It is not compatible with slot-loading CD-ROM drives Expanded content with additional information on the principles of cardiac auscultation in the context of the overall cardiac examination. Now presented in colour with additional imaging and colour diagrams to aid interpretation. The CD has been completely redesigned using the latest software. Recordings of heart sounds can now be slowed down without altering their pitch. Includes new questions and answers to test knowledge.