Cardiac Emergencies [antikvár]

Foreword Until preventive cardiology is attainable and practical, inuch of today's medicine, of necessity, will be interventive and crisis oriented. In the industrialized world, sudden death and coronary heart disease unquestionably lead the pack in crisis medicine. This text was developed to provide current knowledge about the mechanisms, diagnosis, and management of cardiac emergencies. The initial book on this topic resulted from a symposium on the subject sponsored by the American College of Cardiology in 1972. A major revision, entitled Cardiac Emergencies, was released in 1977 which reflected the rapid development of information in the field. This edition is completely new. There are deletions and additions since the 1977 edition. Although a single author volume possesses some advantages, in our opinion it was important to offer the most current, comprehensive, and practical clinical information from leaders in the field. This book represents an edited collation of major topics within the realm of cardiac emergencies. The chapters are authored by expert clinical researchers who are clinicians as well. Each chapter is designed to stand on its own; therefore, of necessity, the reader will expect to find some overlap of information from one chapter to the next. The new edition was born of the need for an updated comprehensive yet compact "state of the art" presentation. As mentioned, this is not an all-inclusive book. Priorities have been placed upon those subjects which physicians have indicated to us represent their primary needs for clinical reference. Selected topics such as arrhythmias, pump failure, and cardiogenic shock are presented in-depth by such leading clinical investigators as Gettes, Forrester, and Mason. Where understanding remains superficial a brief panoramic view is chosen to more accurately represent the current state of our knowledge. Added new information regarding slow channel calcium-blocking agents and anti-arrhythmic agents is reviewed in detail. The book is thus designed and developed for the practicing physician who must know the subject of cardiac emergencies at the contemporary level of our understanding. Although it is not primarily intended for paramedical personnel or even beginning medical students, they may find it a valuable reference, as their clinical knowledge develops. We believe the text represents an accurate, readable, and appropriately comprehensive depiction of this frequent, often devastating and usually challenging clinical problem.