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The NBE curriculum list, reproduced exactly, plus the editions residents actually read in 2026 — with journals, a year-wise reading plan, and the references you will need for your thesis and exit practical.
Doing the DM instead? The same superspecialty is covered at DM Cardiology books.
These 16 titles are reproduced as they appear in the National Board of Examinations curriculum document for Cardiology — spelling and abbreviations included. Treat it as the scope anchor, not as a shopping list.
Source: National Board of Examinations curriculum document for Cardiology
The books most residents actually buy. These are the editions in circulation now, with a note on whether each is something you read through, keep as a reference, or open only for the viva.
Journal club and the recent-advances parts of the theory paper come from here. You do not need all of them — follow one Indian and two international titles properly.
Three years of superspecialty training goes faster than it sounds, and most of it is spent on the floor. The order below is what works for most DrNB Cardiology residents.
Build the base: read Braunwald systematically alongside daily cases, master Marriott for ECG, and start Otto for echo while doing scanning rotations. Begin thesis protocol.
Move to procedural depth - Grossman & Baim for cath and intervention, Feigenbaum for advanced echo, Issa/Zipes for EP. Read landmark trials and current ACC/AHA-ESC guidelines. Complete thesis data collection.
Consolidate with Moss and Adams for CHD, revise Braunwald selectively, practise short notes under timed conditions, and drill ECG/echo/cath spot interpretation for the practical.
Protocol, methodology and reporting standards examiners expect you to have followed.
Cases, spotters and stations that come up again and again in the exit exam.
The DrNB Cardiology final has three theory papers of 100 marks each, three hours per paper, in the NBE short-notes format (10 short notes of 10 marks per paper); 150/300 is the pass mark. The practical is 300 marks and combines clinical cases and/or OSCE with viva, and can only be attempted after clearing theory. Cardiology practicals lean heavily on ECG, echocardiography and catheterisation data interpretation in addition to bedside cases.
The National Board of Examinations curriculum for Cardiology lists 16 titles, beginning with Braunwald E. Zipes D. Libby P.: Heart Disease : A Text Book of Cardiovascular Medicine:. The full list is reproduced on this page exactly as it is published.
Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine by Libby, Bonow, Mann, Tomaselli, Bhatt is the usual anchor. The default cardiology textbook for reading-room work and theory answers.
DrNB Cardiology is a superspecialty course taken after a broad-specialty MD, MS or DNB, so the reading is narrower and deeper. The broad-specialty texts are assumed knowledge by the time you start.
No. Most residents own two or three and use the department or library copy for the rest. That is exactly why printing selected chapters from a PDF works out cheaper than buying volumes you will open twice.
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