The first edition of Dr Fink's monograph on congenital heart disease was reprinted five times. This highly suggests that it was received well by its intended audience, the physician-in-training. The approach to teaching that Dr Fink has used in lectures and seminars has been adapted to the printed word. Added to the second edition is a chapter on mitral valve prolapse, and within each chapter there exists up-to-date information concerning M-mode and sector scan echocardiography. There is no discussion, however, of Doppler assessment.
The fact that the first edition of this text had five reprints attests to its popularity with the pediatric house officer and medical student. It presents, in a succinct manner, each of the most common congenital heart defects. There are 17 chapters, each dealing with a specific congenital heart defect. Each chapter follows the format of a presentation of embryology, followed by anatomy, hemodynamics, clinical applications, and