Congenital heart disease is the most common serious congenital defect. It occurs in ~1% of all live births, and annually about 1.5 million children are born with congenital heart disease. (A similar number have bicuspid aortic valves, but these seldom cause problems in childhood.) Given the high potential early mortality and morbidity of these diseases, any book such as this one that improves the effectiveness of treatment will make a major contribution to world health. Neonatal cardiology is concerned mainly with congenital heart disease. The period of transition from fetus to neonate is often difficult, and congenital or acquired disease at this age may, for many reasons, be more difficult to manage than at older ages. It is not surprising, therefore, that the highest mortality in children with congenital heart disease who are not treated occurs in the neonatal period. What is surprising is that so few books have concentrated on this critical period. This third edition of Neonatal Cardiology has gone a long way to correcting the deficiency. With the advances in imaging methods, diagnostic cardiac catheterization has been replaced by echocardiography, CT, and MRI. As a result, the emphasis today is placed on anatomic abnormalities rather than on their physiological consequences, even though it is these consequences that often determine the outcome. The authors of this book, basing their work on the groundbreaking studies by Dr. Abraham Rudolph of abnormal fetal development and the physiological changes due to congenital heart disease, have shown how understanding the physiology as well as the anatomy of these lesions improves our ability to treat these patients. In this third edition, Drs. Teitel, Mahony, and Artman have updated and expanded what was in the second edition with added information about myocytes, arrhythmias, and genetics. In addition, they have enlisted Dr. Gittenberger de Groot and her colleagues to discuss current concepts of cardiac embryology.

The first edition of Netter’s Cardiology was an effort to present to clinicians the ever-increasing amount of medical information on cardiovascular diseases in a concise and highly visual format. The challenge that clinicians face in “keeping up” with the medical literature has continued to grow in the 5 years since the first edition of Netter’s Cardiology. This need to process the everexpanding medical information base and apply new findings to the optimal care of patients is acute in all areas of medicine, but perhaps it is most challenging in disciplines that require practitioners to understand a broad spectrum of evidence-based medicine, such as the field of cardiovascular diseases. The explosion of medical knowledge is also a very real educational issue for learners at all levels—students, residents, practicing physicians— who must rapidly determine what is and is not important, organize the key information, and then apply these principles effectively in clinical settings. For the second edition of Netter’s Cardiology, our goal was to produce an improved text that keeps these issues in clear focus and also addresses important clinical areas that were not well covered in the first edition or in many other cardiology texts. To accomplish this expansion while maintaining a concise text that could be used as a ready reference, we again avoided exhaustive treatment of topics. We also have made every effort to present the essential information in a readerfriendly format that increases the reader’s ability to learn the key facts without getting lost in details that can obfuscate the learning process. After a careful review of reader comments about the first edition, we made some substantial changes to achieve our educational goals. Chapters were added and topics expanded to address reader concerns about the lack of coverage of a number of important topics commonly encountered in clinical practice. Examples include these new chapters: Chest Radiography, Echocardiography, Stress Testing and Nuclear Imaging, Cardiac Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Left and Right Heart Catheterization, Identifying the Patient at High Risk for Acute Coronary Syndrome: Plaque Rupture and “Immediate Risk,” Cardiogenic Shock after Myocardial Infarction, Stress-Induced Cardiomyopathy, Supraventricular Tachycardia, Sleep Disorders and the Cardiovascular System, Cardiovascular Toxicity of Noncardiac Medications, and Sudden Cardiac Death in Athletes. The chapter subheadings of “Optimum Treatment” and “Avoiding Treatment Errors” are new additions that address concerns about therapeutic errors that can lead to patient harm.

The past 50 years have witnessed remarkable achievements in the treatment and prevention of coronary artery disease, the most common cause of death in industrialized society. As the mortality rates from acute myocardial infarction have fallen by more than 50% since the 1970s; coronary artery disease has increasingly become a chronic disease. Outcomes among patients with chronic ischemic heart disease are heterogeneous, with excellent survival in many, while other high-risk subsets are at notably increased risk for death or major complications. Managing the growing population of patients with chronic coronary disease requires understanding of the full clinical spectrum of coronary disease, ranging from patients with advanced, but asymptomatic disease to those with ischemic cardiomyopathy at risk for heart failure and sudden cardiac death. Importantly, in this chronic condition understanding the impact of angina and other symptoms on quality of life and functional status is particularly important. Paralleling the growth in the chronic coronary disease population is the rapid pace of progress with regard to preventive strategies, diagnostic modalities, and new treatment options. In this companion to Braunwald’s Heart Disease we provide comprehensive coverage of chronic coronary artery disease. This text includes 30 chapters that are designed to provide the clinical practitioner and researcher with in depth understanding of factors responsible for disease development, as well as immediately actionable information regarding all available diagnostic and treatment modalities. We have assembled a superb team of international contributors who have provided authoritative coverage of their areas of expertise. The text is divided into four sections, beginning with an introductory section reviewing the epidemiology of chronic coronary artery disease, and providing a global perspective on the disease spectrum. This is followed by sections covering pathogenesis, clinical evaluation, and management. As compared with broad-based cardiovascular textbooks, this focused companion “dives deep” into this important topic area. For example, we include individual chapters on each available testing modality for evaluating coronary disease. These chapters are followed by integrative chapters that provide algorithms to help clinicians select among the various testing options.