Development of the functioning heart is a complex process that is essential for survival of the embryo. The mechanisms responsible for cardiovascular morphogenesis have been studied for centuries by classical embryologists and more recently by molecular developmental biologists. Major progress…
Neoplastic involvement of the heart can be divided into primary cardiac tumors arising in the heart and secondary cardiac tumors that have metastasized to the heart. Primary cardiac tumors can be further stratified into benign and malignant tumors. Secondary involvement…
Pulmonary thromboembolism is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and worldwide. The estimated incidence of acute pulmonary embolism is approximately 63 per 100,000 patients in the United States, based on clinical and radiographic data. Acute…
Heart failure (HF) is a burgeoning disease. Recently published American Heart Association projections indicate that its prevalence will increase by 46% from 2012 to 2030 resulting in approximately 8 million people with HF in the United States alone. Ischemic heart…
In memory of Professor Marisa Di Donato. In response to the increasing health, economic, and social impacts of heart failure, clinicians are investigating new surgical therapies that do not involve heart transplantation. Heart failure affects about 5 million patients in…
The clinical realization of heart–lung transplantation evolved through much earlier experimental developments in the laboratory. Alexis Carrel ( Fig. 99-1 ) and later Demikhov and Marcus and associates performed experiments that explored the possibility of using heart–lung transplantation to replace…
In the span of 5 decades, cardiac transplantation has progressed from an experimental dream to a treatment reality for patients with heart failure. According to the 2013 Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, 4096 transplants were…
Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) has become the standard of care for patients with refractory, end-stage heart failure. A landmark trial in MCS demonstrated the superiority of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) over optimal medical therapy with respect to improving…
Definition Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the most common genetic cardiac disease, occurs in approximately 1 in 500 young adults. It is defined as left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy in the absence of an underlying cause, such as systemic hypertension or valvular aortic…
The Pericardium History The earliest descriptions of the pericardium date back to Hippocrates (460 to 377 bc ). Galen ( ad 129 to 210) described the protective function of the pericardium and also reported a pericardial effusion in animals. Avenzoar…