Book Review: A Concise Summary of Cardiology

I decided I’d like to have a greater understanding of some medical topics. One of the areas I’ve been looking into is Cardiology.

I was looking around to find some books that explain it and I stumbled upon A Concise Summary of Cardiology by Kevin Carson .

For a tough topic, I was surprised that the book was so short.

The problem that I found with the book is that it’s not really for me. Instead of explaining the concepts, it’s really a how to guide for people who are studying for work in cardiology.

For example, the first chapter covers how to connect ECG leads correctly, and how to interpret the output. It does that in a very brief way.

Then the book gets into each of the common cardiac issues, and describes how to detect them, and how to treat them, along with the recommended medications. That’s most of the rest of the book.

Summary

It’s an interesting little book, and I’m sure it’s perfect for someone who needs a cheat sheet or what I’ve often seen called Cliff Notes in the USA, before taking exams in cardiology. But given I’m after more of a contextual understanding, rather than a how to guide, I need to keep looking. For its target use, it’s probably quite good.

6 out of 10

2025-05-26