Durable left ventricular assist device (LVAD) technology is advancing at a rapid pace with increasing reliability of mechanical circulatory support for progressively longer periods. With more patients living longer on their LVAD as destination therapy or until eventual heart transplantation, concomitant valvular disease will have a greater impact on outcomes and patient quality of life. While some valvular lesions exist prior to LVAD implantation, others develop de novo from continuous flow mechanical support physiology. The presence of valvular disease in the setting of LVAD support is known to reduce effective cardiac output, increase left ventricular and atrial pressure, and increase right ventricular afterload. These hemodynamic changes can in turn contribute to right heart failure and negatively impact patient outcomes.

Diseased heart valves are a growing public health concern, ranging among the most important causes of heart failure and sudden death. This volume reviews the most current information on valvular disease pathophysiology, epidemiology and evaluation as well as management strategies for affected patients. Topics discussed include data supporting selection of asymptomatic patients for valve surgery, methods employed in evaluating patients for this purpose, surgical methods and valve prostheses currently applied for valve repair and replacement, and criteria for selecting among them. Adjunctive problems such as aortic root disease, infective endocarditis and arrhythmias that may modify patient management are also considered. Epidemiologic data illustrate the increasing prevalence of valvular disease in the population. In addition, the book reviews new and emerging knowledge about the molecular and cellular basis of myocardial dysfunction and heart failure in various forms of valvular disease, and new information about the potential roles of alternative medicine, blood conservation and minimally invasive surgical techniques. A particular highlight is a 'debate' between paired chapters on the appropriateness of mitral valve surgery for patients with less than severe mitral regurgitation of ischemic etiology. Compiling the most up-to-date and authoritative information in the field, this book will be of great value not only to cardiologists and cardiac surgeons, but also to medical students, medical and surgical residents, cardiology and cardiac surgery fellows and general internists.

For many years, there has been a great deal of work done on chronic congestive heart failure while acute heart failure has been considered a difficult to handle and hopeless syndrome. However, in recent years acute heart failure has become a growing area of study and this is the first book to cover extensively the diagnosis and management of this complex condition. The book reflects the considerable amounts of new data reported and many new concepts which have been proposed in the last 3-4 years looking at the epidemiology, diagnostic and treatment of acute heart failure.

Written by faculty members of the international symposium 'Valves in the Heart of the Big Apple: Evaluation and Management of Valvular Heart Diseases, this book is intended to complement and supplement the first volume, published in 2002. While the first volume reviews current information on valvular disease pathophysiology, epidemiology and evaluation as well as management strategies for affected patients, the current volume covers areas not discussed in the first and updates information on critical prognostication and management issues. Topics discussed include the selection of patients for surgery, current surgical approaches, natural history and management of selected complex congenital abnormalities involving heart valves, cellular and molecular pathophysiology of myocardial dysfunction. Consideration is also given to prognostication strategies and results as well as technical approaches to measuring disease characteristics. Providing a comprehensive overview of contemporary thinking about valvular heart diseases, this book will be of great value not only to cardiologists and cardiac surgeons, but also to medical students, medical and surgical residents, cardiology and cardiac surgery fellows and general internists.

An illustrated guide for anesthesia providers for congenital heart disease patients, with a focus on non-cardiac operating room settings.

Diagnosis and Management of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is aunique, multi-authored compendium of information regarding thecomplexities of clinical and genetic diagnosis, natural history,and management of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)—the mostcommon and important of the genetic cardiovasculardiseases—as well as related issues impacting the health oftrained athletes. Edited by Dr. Barry J. Maron, a world authority on HCM, and withmajor contributions from all of the international experts in thisfield, this book provides a single comprehensive source ofinformation concerning HCM. Recent advances in the field arediscussed, including the importance of left ventricular outflowtract obstruction, the use of implantable defibrillators for theprevention of sudden death in young people, definition of thegenetic basis for HCM and its role in clinical diagnosis and riskstratification, the development of more precise strategies forassessing the level of risk for sudden death among all patientswith HCM, and the evolution of invasive interventions for heartfailure symptoms, such as surgical management and its alternatives(alcohol septal ablation and dual-chamber pacing). Key Features: Contributions from all experts in the field,representing diverse viewpoints regarding this heterogeneousdisease and related issues in athletes Information to dispel misunderstandings regarding issuesassociated with HCM and cardiovascular disease in athletes The only comprehensive source of information available on thetopic