Sabiston and Spencer Surgery of the Chest

Coronary Angiography: Valve and Hemodynamic Assessment

Cardiac catheterization and coronary angiography are essential tools in the diagnosis and evaluation of coronary and valvular heart disease, with several million procedures performed annually in the United States. Significant technological advances have occurred since the insertion of the first…

Blood Coagulation, Transfusion, and Conservation

Following cardiac surgery, multiple quantitative and qualitative hemostatic abnormalities have been described. Preexisting and acquired defects contribute to bleeding. The increasing use of anticoagulants, including antiplatelet agents (clopidogrel, prasugrel, ticagrelor) and new oral anticoagulation (NOAC) agents (dabigatran, rivaroxaban and apixaban),…

Ventricular Mechanics

In this chapter, we will examine the mechanics of the heart at the tissue and organ level. The chapter will focus primarily on the left ventricle (LV), but short discussions of left atrial function as it relates to LV filling…

Physiology of the Myocardium

Integrative Biology of the Myocardium The essential function of the muscles that make up the myocardium is to transfer to the arteries the volume of blood added to the ventricular chambers during diastole. This transfer must occur within the narrow…

Vascular Physiology

Myocardial and pulmonary perfusion is regulated by a complex array of influences intrinsic and extrinsic to the vasculature. Surgical decisions are generally based on the anatomy of large arteries, where the presence of obstructive lesions and vasomotor state of these…

Surgical Anatomy of the Heart

† Deceased. In this chapter, we provide a brief overview of cardiac structure as it is relevant for the cardiac surgeon. We describe the heart as it is located in the body in its anatomic, or attitudinally correct, position. Whenever…

Innovative Therapy and Technology

Lung cancer remains the number one cause of cancer-related deaths in men and women, and the incidence continues to rise with approximately 175,000 new cases diagnosed annually in the United States. In this chapter, we review several innovative therapies for…

The Molecular Biology of Thoracic Malignancies

As Dr. Blake Cady eloquently stated, tumor biology is the principle determinant of outcome in surgical oncology. “Biology is King, Selection is Queen, and the technical details of surgical procedures are the Princes and Princesses of the realm who frequently…