Assistant Professor of Medicine,
McGill University,
Montreal, Canada
"... it is the past that is in front of
us; it is the future that lies behind us." —James
Downy
The diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart disease is one of the
greatest medical success stories witnessed in the latter half of the
20th century. An estimated 32 000 infants with newly diagnosed
congenital cardiovascular lesions are born in the
United States each year. First-year mortality rates have dropped 50%
since the l960s. Currently,
The result of converging advances in medicine, pediatrics, and
cardiovascular surgery, this achievement highlights the
impact of a well-crafted multidisciplinary collaborative effort. In
that spirit, Perloff and Child have published the second edition of
Congenital Heart Disease in Adults. Considerably expanded
from the first edition, coverage spans pertinent topics from medical
history to diagnostic technology and surgical technique,
incorporating a description of facilities needed to render complete
patient care. Although its scope is wide, the book is focused,
cohesive, and superbly written. UCLA Medical Center, known for its
pioneering work in the field of congenital heart disease, both
pediatric and adult, has made landmark contributions to the
international medical community since the inception of its Adult
Congenital Heart Disease Center in l978. Justifiably, the center serves
as a single site where multiple subspecialists contribute long-standing
experience to produce a highly comprehensive textbook, tightly
© 1998 American Heart Association, Inc.
Book Reviews
Congenital Heart Disease in Adults
Joseph K. Perloff, MD and John S. Child, MD. 406 pp.Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders; 1997. $110.00. ISBN 0-7216-2998-9.
80% of first-year survivors live to
reach adulthood. By the year 2000, the estimated prevalence of adults
with congenital heart disease in the United States alone is expected to
approach 1 million.1