Book excerpt: The Second Edition of Blueprints Cardiology covers the essentials that students need to know on cardiology and internal medicine rotations and while preparing for the USMLE. The thoroughly updated Second Edition features coverage of the most common conditions encountered on the wards. This edition includes a new chapter on pre-operative evaluation of the cardiac patient, plus two new appendices with common cardiac drugs and sample ECGs. The revised and expanded Q&A section presents 75 board-format questions with detailed answer explanations. Evidence-based resources are also included in this edition.