Cardiopulmonary Symptoms in Physical Therapy Practice.

Cardiopulmonary Symptoms in Physical Therapy Practice

By Cohen M, Michel TH. New York, NY 10036, Churchill Livingstone Inc, 1988, paperback, 277 pp, illus, $25.95

The purpose of this book is to provide physical therapists with a clinical reference to help them manage patients who have cardiopulmonary symptoms. The book also was written to help therapists evaluate cardiopulmonary problems and plan appropriate rehabilitation programs. The book is divided into three sections. Section I reviews the anatomy and physiology relevant to the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Because it is a review text, the book assumes that the reader already has a certain level of knowledge of those systems. The last part of the section reviews a method of physical therapy evaluation of the patient with cardiopulmonary problems that emphasizes a thorough interview and history, chart review, and physical assessment.

Section 2 covers nine symptoms common to patients with cardiopulmonary problems. This section offers the reader the most information. The organization of information by symptoms rather than by specific diagnoses makes the book more convenient as a reference. Specific symptoms covered are 1) chest pain, 2) breathlessness, 3) fatigue, 4) irregular heart beat, 5) lightheadedness, 6) loss of consciousness, 7) cough, 8) leg pain, and 9) edema. All chapters in this section follow the same format. Each chapter covers relevant information that the therapist should look for in a chart review and the interpretation of that information. Next, the chapters review medical/surgical intervention, including common pharmacological agents, appropriate physical therapy rehabilitation programs, and procedures such as electrocardiography and monitoring. The chapters end with a section on physical therapy intervention, including proper history-taking and evaluation techniques of use to therapists in designing rehabilitation programs. The last section reviews several case profiles, allowing the reader to make use of the techniques and information provided in the first two sections of the book. included is some excellent information on the interpretation of physical evaluation findings by the therapist and on the design and implementation of physical therapy rehabilitation programs. The use of summary tables helps organize the textual material.

Overall, the book is well written, well organized, and well referenced (references follow each chapter). The illustrations are nicely done and are very helpful. Perhaps the book's strongest point is the excellent organization and clarity of the many tables, which provide an excellent summary of the material. For example, the appendix contains a table that lists normal laboratory values for a wide variety of laboratory blood tests.

I believe the book well serves its intended purpose. it would be appropriate for physical therapy students as a textbook in a course on cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, but it may be too complex for use solely as a self-study guide. The book is an excellent clinical reference for practicing clinical therapists and should find its way onto the shelf of any physical therapist who regularly deals with cardiopulmonary cases.

Thomas M Mohr, PhD