Edge cardiology

Author: Zhao Yintang, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-03-01
Features: The authors of this book propose the concepts of "Marginal Medicine" and "Marginal Cardiology." Guided by the idea that "cardiovascular diseases are systemic diseases," they examine the interprofessional pathological and clinical links between different systems, especially between cardiovascular diseases and non-cardiovascular diseases, from a perspective distinct from traditional medical thinking. The book is innovative in its approach, well-structured, concise in content, and fluent in language, making it suitable for junior and mid-level specialists as well as general clinical physicians for reference.
With the advancement of science and technology, medical development has increasingly trended toward specialization. Faced with the vast expanse of medical knowledge, human attention is limited. Even today, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for individuals with both high academic qualifications and talent to become "general practitioners." Through years of clinical practice, the author has deeply felt this challenge. To achieve a profound level of expertise or achievement in a specific medical field, one must focus entirely on a particular specialty or disease. This is inevitable and essential. Many renowned medical experts both domestically and internationally are generally the same. However, another issue arises in reality: specialists, while focusing on their own fields, may sometimes fail to see the "forest for the trees" in clinical practice.
Because the human body is a complete organism, its systems, tissues, and organs are closely interconnected in structure and function. Pathological changes or functional disorders in one organ often affect other systems and organs to varying degrees, either directly or indirectly, even leading to significant pathological changes in related organs. From this perspective, it is required that clinical physicians possess as broad a foundation in theory and clinical skills as possible, ideally becoming "general practitioners."
The impracticality of becoming a general practitioner and the necessity of doing so present an objective contradiction. To find a solution to this contradiction, the authors propose the idea of building a bridge between the two, providing a shortcut for specialists to address non-professional issues when necessary. This approach does not require excessive mental effort or the abandonment of their specialized research. Instead, it allows specialists to spend only a small amount of time to grasp the essentials or key points of related professional issues, thereby inspiring and verifying their understanding.
We believe that the most practical way to realize this idea is to establish "Marginal Medicine" or "Marginal Clinical Pathology."
[Preface]
Preface: Modern medicine is developing rapidly, with increasing connections between disciplines and ever-narrowing specialization. To reflect the achievements of medical development, numerous monographs and specialized discussions have emerged, forming a vast ocean of knowledge. However, since most of these works focus on systematic discussions within their own fields or specialties, they inadvertently overlook the interprofessional links between diseases in terms of etiology, pathology, and clinical aspects. This situation is no exception in the field of cardiology. Traditional cardiology primarily studies cardiovascular diseases caused by various factors but often pays little attention to or rarely addresses the interprofessional links, especially the overlapping edge issues between cardiovascular diseases and non-cardiovascular diseases.
The human body is a complete and indivisible organism. Traditionally, the systematic division of different tissues and organs was largely for the convenience of research and application. Whether in terms of structural organization or function, all tissues and organs are closely interconnected. Pathological states in one system or organ will inevitably affect other related systems or organs to varying degrees, either directly or indirectly. No disease is likely to exist in isolation.
The existence of these conditions, on one hand, contributes to the development of specialized knowledge and the deepening of expertise, but on the other hand, it also limits the breadth of knowledge and the scope of thinking. Based on the above considerations, the authors of this book examine the interprofessional pathological and clinical links between different system diseases, especially between cardiovascular diseases and non-cardiovascular diseases, from a perspective distinct from traditional medical thinking, proposing the concepts of "Marginal Medicine" and "Marginal Cardiology." This is a beneficial attempt that is beneficial to expanding the thinking space of clinical physicians.
The difference between this approach and traditional cardiology lies in its focus not on systemic cardiology but on exploring the interprofessional links between cardiovascular diseases and other system diseases, with cardiovascular diseases as the core. Specifically, it investigates which other system diseases cardiovascular diseases can cause as etiologies or triggers, and which other system diseases can lead to cardiovascular diseases as etiologies or triggers.
Guided by the idea that "cardiovascular diseases are systemic diseases," the authors systematically discuss a series of marginal issues, including related etiology, pathogenesis, symptomatology, therapy, and clinical diagnosis and treatment between cardiovascular diseases and non-cardiovascular diseases. Reading this book can provide certain insights. The book is innovative in its approach, well-structured, concise in content, and fluent in language, making it suitable for junior and mid-level specialists as well as general clinical physicians for reference.