Fye describes both the discoveries and innovations in cardiology and the socioeconomic forces that led to the professionalization of the field in the United States. He shows how, in the period following World War II, such factors as the prevalence of heart disease, liberal government research funding, technological innovations, and the growing availability of health insurance worked together to shape cardiology into a major academic and clinical discipline. Bringing the story up to the present, he discusses the implications of the federal government's recent determination to reduce the share of the budget spent on health care while encouraging the growth of managed care - decisions that could affect the future of medical specialization in general.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney and his longtime cardiologist, Dr. Jonathan Reiner, share the story of Cheney’s thirty-five-year battle with heart disease—providing insight into the incredible medical breakthroughs that have changed cardiac care over the last four decades. For as long as he has served at the highest levels of business and government, Vice President Dick Cheney has also been one of the world’s most prominent heart patients. Now, for the first time ever, Cheney, together with his longtime cardiologist, Jonathan Reiner, MD, shares the very personal story of his courageous thirty-five-year battle with heart disease, from his first heart attack in 1978 to the heart transplant he received in 2012. In 1978, when Cheney suffered his first heart attack, he received essentially the same treatment President Eisenhower had had in 1955. Since then, cardiac medicine has been revolutionized, and Cheney has benefitted from nearly every medical breakthrough. At each juncture, when Cheney faced a new health challenge, the technology was one step ahead of his disease. Cheney’s story is in many ways the story of the evolution of modern cardiac care. Heart is the riveting, singular memoir of both doctor and patient. Like no US politician has before him, Cheney opens up about his health struggles, sharing harrowing, never-before-told stories about the challenges he faced during a perilous time in our nation’s history. Dr. Reiner provides his perspective on Cheney’s case and also gives readers a fascinating glimpse into his own education as a doctor and the history of our understanding of the human heart. He masterfully chronicles the important discoveries, radical innovations, and cutting-edge science that have changed the face of medicine and saved countless lives. Powerfully braiding science with story and the personal with the political, Heart is a sweeping, inspiring, and ultimately optimistic book that will give hope to the millions of Americans affected by heart disease.

Interventional cardiology refers to catheter-based treatment of cardiovascular diseases. This dynamic new field is one of the fastest growing fields in medicine. In the United States, more than a million percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) are performed annually; moreover, the number of procedures performed will likely continue to increase. The field of interventional cardiology has evolved dramatically over the past decade with the availability of embolic protection devices, drug eluting stents, mechanical thrombectomy catheters, etc. Interventional cardiology represents a rapidly moving target for the cardiologist who seeks to integrate recent advances into their clinical practice. The advent of newer technology presents both an opportunity as well as numerous challenges for the cardiologist to treat patients optimally. Interventional Cardiology: Essential Clinicians Guide (Oxford American Cardiology Library) aims to provide clinicians with concise, easily accessible guidance on the pre-procedural, procedural and post procedural aspects of PCI in general situations and in various specific clinical settings. The volume features evidence-based discussion on patient selection, vascular access, general principles of PCI, and various specific settings and optimal post procedure management of these patients. This handbook focuses on tailoring stent type to the individual patient, taking into account specific risk factors and comorbidities, appropriate use of embolic protection and thrombectomy catheters. Highly practical in format, content and style, Interventional Cardiology: Essential Clinician's Guide serves as a succinct, yet comprehensive, easily accessible point-of-care reference for busy practitioners. Useful tools, such as treatment algorithms, charts, tables and illustrations assist in making this volume a practical reference tool.

Clinical studies show that cardiovascular intervention does not prevent heart attacks or prolong life in stable patients with coronary artery disease . . . so why are more than 1.5 million angioplasties and coronary bypass surgeries done annually in the United States alone? In The Great American Heart Hoax, esteemed cardiologist Michael Ozner, author of The Miami Mediterranean Diet, reveals groundbreaking truths about what actually helps prevent and reverse heart disease and what isn't worth the money or risk. Discover disturbing realities from a cardiologist about the billion-dollar cardiovascular intervention industry. While a minority of patients may benefit from surgery, Ozner uncovers that the majority can employ much simpler methods, such as diet, exercise and medical therapy, to achieve better results—without stents or surgery. Most important, The Great American Heart Hoax provides a 10-step program to improve your heart health and reduce your risk of heart disease.

This two volume set presents recent advances in the knowledge and technology related to the field of cardiology. Beginning with a basic introduction, the text continues with a step by step approach through the subject, covering topics such as cardiovascular pharmacology, electrophysiology, coronary heart diseases, myocardial and pericardial disease and more. With contributions from leading international experts and over 1500 colour photographs, each chapter contains additional comments and guidelines from reputed international bodies. The book is accompanied by a DVD ROM containing high quality video footage of echocardiography.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a screening tool called the Listing of Impairments to identify claimants who are so severely impaired that they cannot work at all and thus immediately qualify for benefits. In this report, the IOM makes several recommendations for improving SSA's capacity to determine disability benefits more quickly and efficiently using the Listings.

For the first time, a single reference identifies medical technology assessment programs. A valuable guide to the field, this directory contains more than 60 profiles of programs that conduct and report on medical technology assessments. Each profile includes a listing of report citations for that program, and all the reports are indexed under major subject headings. Also included is a cross-listing of technology assessment report citations arranged by type of technology headings, brief descriptions of approximately 70 information sources of potential interest to technology assessors, and addresses and descriptions of 70 organizations with memberships, activities, publications, and other functions relevant to the medical technology assessment community.