BOOK REVIEWS Limitations: As stated earlier, references are available online only. This can make it more cumbersome to use the textbook as a secondary Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapeutics, 3rd Edition reference for the identification and retrieval of primary literature. Be- cause a wide array of cardiovascular medications are discussed, some Edited by William H Frishman MD and Domenic A Sica MD. Published sections are not as detailed as they could be. Additionally, newer or more by Cardiotext Publishing LLC, Minneapolis, MN, 2011. ISBN 978-0- controversial topics, such as platelet function testing and pharmacoge- 9790164-3-1. Clothbound, xix + 775 pp. (28.5 × 22. cm), $199. nomics, are not covered extensively. www.cardiotextpublishing.com Comparison with Previous Edition: The previous edition was pub- New with this edition is an accompanying Web site, cvpct3.com, which lished 8 years earlier, so the textbook has been fully updated with newer highlights advances in cardiovascular drug therapy. Along with provid- data and references to reflect the changes in cardiovascular pharma- ing periodic updates to each chapter, including links to the latest studies, cotherapy over that time. In addition, new chapters that cover pulmonary the site reviews cardiovascular drugs newly approved by the Food and hypertension, vasopressin and vasopressin antagonists, and drug-eluting Drug Administration for clinical use, as well as drugs under investiga- stents have been added. tion. Comparison with Other Related Books: This textbook is unique in that it focuses specifically on medication classes. It is larger and more Therapeutic Area: Cardiology and pharmacotherapy. thorough than Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy: A Point-of-Care System Requirements: Internet access and Adobe reader (or other Guide by Michael A Crouch. It is less useful for learning about the treat- PDF reader) for viewing references and updates. ment of a cardiovascular disease state than other therapeutics texts and Audience: All health care professionals who care for patients with less useful than Goodman & Gilman’s The Pharmacological Basis of cardiovascular diseases. Therapeutics in terms of a pharmacology textbook. Purpose: As stated by the authors, the purpose of this textbook is to Reviewer’s Summary: This textbook is a well-written, useful refer- provide updated information “for the clinician using drug therapy to pre- ence describing the role of an individual medication or class of medica- vent and treat cardiovascular disease and for those with an academic in- tions in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. It is a bridge between terest in cardiovascular pharmacology.” disease state–focused pharmacotherapeutics texts and medication-based Content: The textbook is divided into 4 parts consisting of 37 chap- pharmacology texts. ters and 8 appendices. Part 1 has 4 chapters that cover some introductory Reviewer: James M Hollands PharmD BCPS (AQ Cardiology), Clin- topics. Part 2, the main section of the text, is divided into 25 chapters, ical Pharmacist, Department of Pharmacy, Barnes Jewish Hospital, St. with each chapter covering a separate class of medications (eg, calcium Louis, MO channel blockers, lipid-lowering drugs). These chapters start with a basic Conflict of interest: Dr. Hollands has received honoraria from The rationale for the treatment of certain disease states and a brief overview Medicines Company. of the pharmacology of the medications. Each chapter reviews the evi- Published Online, 27 Dec 2011, theannals.com dence for the medication class in the treatment of a variety of disease DOI 10.1345/aph.1Q569 states. Part 3 covers 8 special topics in cardiology, including cardiovas- cular pharmacotherapy in pediatric patients, alternative and complemen- tary medicine, and cardiovascular drugs in development. Part 4 consists of 8 appendices that are frequently in tabular or outline format. These ap- pendices highlight a variety of topics, including pharmacokinetic proper- Clarke’s Analysis of Drugs and Poisons, 4th Edition ties and dosing adjustment in patients with renal insufficiency. A thor- Edited by Anthony C Moffat, M David Osselton, Brian Widdop, and ough index is also included. Jo Watts. Published by Pharmaceutical Press, London, UK, 2011. Usability: References are available online only, which is a limitation ISBN 978-0-85369-711- 4. Clothbound, xxv + 2473 pp. (28.5 × 22.5), of the textbook. However, the references are current and it appears that $750. This package consists of a 2-volume reference set in a slipcase, additional updates are posted online, keeping the textbook even more plus 1 year’s individual access to the online version via MedicinesCom- current. The textbook price is reasonable and competitive. Separating the plete.com. www.pharmpress.com pharmacotherapy textbook by class of medications is a different way of presenting the data. Therapeutic Area: Analytic toxicology. Highlights: The textbook is very thorough in covering most clinical Format: This hardcover book consists of 2 volumes plus access to conditions in which individual medications have been studied; however, the on-line version for 1 year. for practical reasons, not all studies are addressed. Organizing a pharma- Audience: This book is intended primarily for analytic and laboratory cotherapeutic textbook by class of medications can allow the clinician to scientists, including those in clinical and forensic laboratories. Some sec- get a handle on how the medication has been studied and when to use the tions would also interest clinical toxicologists, clinical pharmacologists, agent. Providing updated information online keeps the text more current. and those working in poison centers.
146 n The Annals of Pharmacotherapy n 2012 January, Volume 46 theannals.com
Downloaded from aop.sagepub.com at UCSF LIBRARY & CKM on April 26, 2015 Purpose: The purpose of this book is to serve as an in-depth reference Limitations: This resource targets a select audience of analytic scien- on analytic and toxicologic data for drugs and poisons. tists. The potential broader appeal of volume 1 is somewhat diminished Content: The first volume covers practice areas (eg, hospital toxicolo- by detailed descriptions of assays and reference values content, as well as gy, therapeutic drug monitoring, workplace testing, sports drug testing, cost ($750). Some problems with clinical data are evident. For example, forensic toxicology), methodology, and analytic techniques. Methodolo- in the hospital toxicology chapter, ethylene glycol is the only toxin listed gy chapters focus on specific substances such as drugs of abuse, medici- for increased anion gap; a table on emergency toxicological assays lists nals, pesticides, and metals. Method development and validation, quality substances not routinely quantitated as assays are not clinically useful or control, sampling, storage and stability, and interpretation of toxicologic readily available (eg, cholinesterase activity, β-blockers, strychnine, and data, pediatric toxicology, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacogenomics are thallium); some listed interventions are not recommended (eg, methion- addressed. The remaining chapters provide data on specific analytic pro- ine for paracetamol [acetaminophen], vitamin B for lithium); and inter- cedures. The first section of the second volume contains monographs ar- preting listed toxic trough, peak, and lethal paracetamol blood concentra- ranged alphabetically on drugs and poisons, including physical and tions is difficult and not applicable to acute overdoses. chemical properties, analytic methods, pharmacokinetics, therapeutic Reviewer’s Summary: The authors achieved their purpose of provid- and toxic doses, and concentrations. The second section consists of in- ing a comprehensive reference with in-depth, up-to-date, analytic infor- dices of analytic data, including reference data for color tests, chro- mation. It is a valuable resource for analytic laboratories and possibly a matography, ultraviolet spectrophotometry, and infrared and mass spec- reference text in some other settings, including academia and poison cen- trometries. ters. However, the reader should exercise caution when using and inter- Usability: This book is a well-organized, comprehensive reference. preting clinical data. As a multi-volume set it is not easily portable, which is somewhat miti- Reviewer: Wendy Klein-Schwartz PharmD MPH, Coordinator of Re- gated by on-line access for 1 year. The first volume might interest a search and Education, Maryland Poison Center; Associate Professor, De- broader audience (eg, forensic or clinical toxicologists) than the second partment of Pharmacy Practice and Science, University of Maryland volume. The second volume mainly serves the needs of laboratory scien- School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD tists requiring detailed analytic data. Conflict of interest: Author reported none Highlights: The book is an in-depth reference that includes analytic information on pharmaceuticals and industrial products in biological and Published Online, 3 Jan 2012, theannals.com nonbiological samples. The authorship is international and the book is DOI 10.1345/aph.1Q427 geared to an international audience. Cases highlight utility of laboratory data. Chapters provide excellent figures/tables/graphs/print-outs. The references are extensive.
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