Cardiovascular/Respiratory Physiotherapy.

Cardiovascular/Respiratory Physiotherapy

Smith M, Ball V. London, England WC1 H9LB, Mosby International Ltd, 1998, paperback, 338 pp, illus, $29.95.

This textbook was written to provide a ready reference for clinicians who treat patients with cardiovascular or respiratory problems. It is also intended as a refresher in this area for clinicians reentering the field. The authors are British and provide details of patient management that apply best to the National Health Service in the United Kingdom.

The book is organized into 5 sections: "Physiology and Assessment," "Adult Management," "The On-Call Physiotherapist," "Pediatric Management," and "Research and Clinical Audit." It begins with a brief review of normal physiology of the cardiovascular and pulmonary' systems. Next, common diagnostic procedures, purposes, and common findings are discussed. The section on adult management focuses on the hospital setting and provides tips for managing patients with common cardiac and pulmonary problems as well as transplantation, thoracic trauma, and vascular surgery. The focus of this section is on airway clearance techniques in the acute hospital setting.

This text contains a brief section entitled "The On-Call Physiotherapist." The coverage of this section appears limited to performing airway clearance for patients in the acute hospital setting. It is so specific to the National Health Service system that therapists outside of the United Kingdom would have difficulty applying the material covered here.

The next section discusses the management of common pediatriccardiopulmonary disorders, including postoperative management, cystic fibrosis, and neonatal management. Again, the interventions described focus heavily on airway clearance for patients who are hospitalized and have a limited applicability to other settings. The final section of this text, entitled "Research and Clinical Audit," is also so specific to the National Health Service system that it does not translate well to the United States.

The information presented in this text reflects current practice in the United Kingdom; however, many of the chapters have only a few citations from current literature. There are some clear and helpful illustrations, particularly chest radiographs, but the most common illustrations are simple tables. This text may provide supplemental information for therapists who do not practice in the area of cardiovascular or pulmonary physical therapy, but it certainly would not be considered of the same quality as other notable American texts.

Anne K Swisher, PT West Virginia University Morgantown, WV

Ms Swisher is Assistant Professor in the physical therapy program. She teaches and performs research in the areas of cardiopulmonary physical therapy and exercise physiology.