American College of Cardiology

Perfect your cardiac auscultation skills with Heart Songs 2!

The Heart Songs 2 audio product is designed specifically to help you learn in the way that your brain processes auditory information so you can quickly and easily master basic, intermediate, and complex heart sounds.

“Research demonstrates that practice makes perfect when trying to master cardiac auscultation. Listening to these "Heart Songs" at the computer or iPod can help clinicians at every level refine their auscultation skills." – Michael J. Barrett, M.D., F.A.C.C.

Cardiac auscultation has traditionally been taught as if it were an intellectual skill, with a didactic lecture followed by a brief demonstration of heart sounds. This approach has yielded disappointing results, with most clinicians able to recognize only about 40% of abnormal heart sounds. Heart Songs, on the other hand, is based on psychoacoustic research demonstrating that intensive repetition (400 to 600 times) is required for the human brain to master a new sound. This degree of repetition is necessary for the formation of an auditory template of each new sound. Once each new sound is mastered, it is reinforced each time you hear it in a patient. By using this learning principle from psychoacoustic research, Heart Songs produces a significant improvement in cardiac auscultation in a relatively short time. Two controlled trials^1,2 have shown that proficiency in cardiac auscultation routinely exceeds 80% using this approach.

Heart Songs 2 provides you with high-quality heart sounds that you can listen to at your convenience so you can improve your cardiac auscultation skills.

References

1. Barrett MJ, Lacey CS, Sekara AE, Linden EA, Gracely EJ. Mastering cardiac murmurs: the power of repetition. Chest 2004;126:470-5.
2. Barrett MJ, Kuzma MA, Seto TC, et al. The power of repetition in mastering cardiac auscultation. Amer J Med 2006;119:73-5.

How is Heart Songs 2 Different Than the Original Heart Songs?
Heart Songs 2 covers everything that the original Heart Songs did, plus new and updated material. New/updated information featured in Heart Songs 2 includes:

• New recommendations on antibiotic prophylaxis for patients with valvular heart disease.
• A demonstration of the response of basic heart murmurs to common maneuvers such as hand grip and exercise.
• A number of murmurs in adult patients with valvular, myocardial, and congenital heart disease with an emphasis on their auscultatory findings.
• New insights on several well-established entities including mitral valve prolapse, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and atrial septal defect.
• Updated material to reflect current thinking on percutaneous aortic and mitral valve interventions.

Product Features

The Heart Songs 2 product includes 3 audio CDs and an interactive CD-ROM featuring the following heart sounds:

Disc 1: Basic Heart Songs

• Introduction
• Mitral Regurgitation
• Aortic Stenosis
• Innocent Systolic Murmur
• Aortic Regurgitation
• Mitral Stenosis
• Fourth Heart Sound
• Third Heart Sound
• Combined Third and Fourth Sound
• Review Session I

Disc 2: Intermediate Heart Songs

• Introduction
• Bicuspid Aortic Valve
• Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
• Mitral Valve Prolapse
• Ebstein’s Anomaly
• Atrial Septal Defect
• Ventriclar Septal Defect
• Review Session II

Disc 3: Complex Heart Songs

• Introduction
• Mitral Stenosis and Regurgitation
• Aortic Stenosis and Regurgitation
• Mitral Regurgitation Variations
• Aortic Regurgitation Variations
• Tetralogy of Fallot
• Patent Ductus Arteriosus
• Review Session III

Disc 4:

1. Interactive Quizzes
   Quiz 1: Basic Heart Murmurs
   Quiz 2: Intermediate Murmurs
   Quiz 3: Complex Murmurs
2. MP3 Files of All Heart songs

Target Audience
The target audience includes any healthcare professional interested in improving his/her cardiac auscultation skills.

Format
The product is available in three audio CDs and one CD-ROM.

60-Day Risk-Free Return Policy
ACC guarantees its educational products. If you are dissatisfied with your product within 60 days of purchase, you may return the product at your expense. Please contact our Resource Center (toll-free 800-253-4636, x5603; direct dial 202-375-6000, x5603; email resource@acc.org) for return instructions. Please note that if you have already claimed CME, CE and/or MOC credit for the product, you will not be eligible for a refund.

Heart Songs 2
Product Audio CDs & CD-ROM

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