Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy: Management and Case Studies

Abstract

Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy provides a comprehensive overview of the essential competencies of cardiopulmonary physiotherapy and is applicable to a wide variety of practice settings, including acute care and outpatient rehabilitation. A great resource for new or experienced physiotherapists working with clients with cardiopulmonary conditions, this book would also make a good tool for teaching physiotherapy students and new graduates the essentials of this area of practice. The book is divided into three parts. Part 1 begins with a basic review of anatomy, physiology, and the pathophysiology associated with common acute and chronic respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, then breaks down the essential components of cardiopulmonary physiotherapy assessment and treatment techniques into concise chapters that together provide the foundational knowledge to manage people with these conditions. Part 2 consists of 24 cardiopulmonary cases covering a wide range of common cardiopulmonary conditions, and Part 3 provides a handy answer guide to each case—making this book an ideal choice for the academic setting. Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy offers several great teaching resources, and thus would make an excellent textbook for an entry-to-practice physiotherapy programme. Individual chapters on the core competencies for cardiopulmonary physiotherapy are supplemented by chapter 6, which provides a useful overview of the clinical decision-making process. It is particularly helpful in outlining the steps involved in this process and applying these basic principles to the essential components of cardiopulmonary physiotherapy assessment and treatment. It would be a useful tool for introducing students to this complex process and giving them several possible frameworks to assist in integrating all of the necessary components. For new graduates and clinicians, the chapters on interpreting arterial blood gases, chest X-rays, and laboratory values may be of particular interest. These chapters helpfully review the basic concepts associated with these investigations. Individual chapters on a variety of treatment techniques—including airway clearance, exercise prescription, positioning, and early mobility—are tailored to students or new clinicians, in that they provide a detailed overview of the basic concepts of these techniques and organize large amounts of information into appendices, figures, and tables that concisely highlight important clinical implications for physiotherapy practice—making it a great quick reference tool for clinicians! Written for physiotherapists by physiotherapists, Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy is a complete resource for the essentials of this area of practice. The authors collectively have a wide range of both academic and clinical experience, and they have done a great job of synthesizing very large and complex concepts into manageable, concise, clinically focused chapters. Moreover, the realistic cases allow for an integrative approach to learning and consolidating essential competencies. I would recommend this book to educators as a teaching tool, to new graduates, and also to clinicians wanting a comprehensive resource to consult in their daily cardiopulmonary practice.