Definition Stenotic atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD) is narrowing of the coronary arteries caused by thickening and loss of elasticity of their walls (arteriosclerosis) that, when sufficiently severe, limits blood flow to the myocardium. Initially, the disease limits only coronary…
Section I Generating Knowledge from Information, Data, and Analyses Introducing the Chapter What It Is About Cardiac surgical procedures, particularly coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), are the most quantitatively studied therapies in the history of medicine. These studies reveal a…
The primary determinants of a cardiac operation's success are events in the operating room (OR), but even patients who are seriously ill when they leave the OR can survive and have a good long-term result when postoperative care is appropriate…
Section I Anesthetic Consultation for Adult Cardiovascular Surgery The principal tasks of the anesthesiologist are to provide relief from pain for patients during operation and to provide optimal operative conditions for surgeons, both in the safest manner possible. To do…
To whatever extent possible, injury to the myocardium must be avoided during operations utilizing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). During these operations, alterations of myocardial blood flow and oxygen demand are often imposed that, unmodified, might injure cellular energetics and morphology. We…
Section I Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest Historical Note In 1950, Bigelow and colleagues, in their publications on experimental hypothermia produced by surface cooling, introduced the concept that whole-body hypothermia might be useful in cardiac surgery. They subsequently reported cooling dogs to…
This chapter describes normal cardiac and great artery anatomy and dimensions, as well as the terminology usually employed. Cardiac Chambers and Major Vessels Accurate diagnosis of congenital heart defects depends in part on identifying cardiac chambers and major vessels by…