DESCRIPTION:
All junior doctors and in particular trainee cardiologists will at some point in their training be involved in managing acute coronary syndromes and other cardiac emergencies. This handbook sets out the recognized clinical steps to take and backs them up with an analysis of the evidence supporting these decisions. Evidence-Based Coronary Care willprovide junior doctors with the answers they seek when dealing with difficult clinical situations. Evidence-Based medicine is still very topical, and this book will adopt a similar style to James: Evidence-Based Obstetrics in setting out the clinical management plan on the verso page and the evidence supporting that plan on the recto page.
CONTENTS:
SECTION I: IMMEDIATE MANAGEMENT OF CHEST PAIN COMPATIBLE WITH MI
Immediate treatment
Definitive treatment
Contra-indications to thrombolytic therapy
Management of the patient ineligible for thrombolytic therapy
Who should receive tPA?
Assessing reperfusion after thrombolysis
Problems following thrombolytic therapy
Patients with diabetes and acute MI
Treatment of ""difficult"" MIs
SECTION II: SUBSEQUENT CCU MANAGEMENT OF MI
Early CCU management
Early risk stratification
Routine management from day 1
Complications of MI
SECTION III: RISK STRATIFICATION POST MI
Clinical risk stratification
Using exercise and other stress testing
Autonomic markers of post MI risk
Out-patient follow up
Pre-discharge checklist
SECTION IV: EARLY REHABILITATION, SECONDARY PREVENTION AND OUT-PATIENT FOLLOW-UP OF MI
Cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention
Fitness to drive
Checklist for outpatient review post MI
SECTION V: MANAGEMENT OF OTHER ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROMES
Unstable angina
Non-Q wave MI
Pre-discharge checklist
SECTION VI: DRUGS IN COMMON USE IN MI AND UNSTABLE ANGINA
Aspirin and other anti-platelet agents
Beta-blockers
Calcium antagonists
ACE inhibitors
Lipid lowering agents
Nitrates
Inotropes
Heparin, warfarin and antithrombins
Amiodarone
SECTION VII: OTHER EMERGENCIES IN CCU
Tachycardias
Bradycardias
Pacemakers
Automatic cardioverter-defibrillators
