Emerging Technologies for Heart Diseases

Book excerpt: The increasing pace of advances in cardiology throughout the last few decades has fundamentally altered the natural course of heart patients. In the last few years, available therapies have been revolutionized completely by new transcatheter therapeutic approaches, novel ventricular assist devices, and new drugs. Also, molecular biology and genetics have a rapidly growing impact on cardiovascular diseases, enabling the field of regenerative medicine to become increasingly closer to routine clinical implementation. Emerging Technologies for Heart Diseases was conceived to cover the recent extensive literature on current and novel therapeutic options for cardiac patients. The first volume is dedicated to heart failure and valvular disorders, and the second covers myocardial ischemia and arrhythmias. The clinical topic is addressed in several chapters divided according to the therapeutic approach (mechanical or electrical device-based, or cell and gene-based). Each of the 46 chapters focuses on clinically available solutions, new therapies currently under evaluation in clinical trials, promising preclinical technologies, and emerging concepts and innovations that have not yet been tested in a preclinical model. Also, the book discusses future challenges and opportunities for clinical implementation. Lessons learned from abandoned experimental practices are also covered, giving the readers the widest possible perspective of current therapeutic dilemmas. Overall, this textbook was designed for physicians who want to stay up-to-date with current therapies and those of the future, for biomedical companies, and for those who wish to broaden their knowledge of new cardiovascular therapeutic options. - Provides a comprehensive review of the latest therapeutic developments for heart failure, valvular disorders, myocardial ischemia and arrhythmias, and their clinical implications - Written by both specialists in the field and established researchers, it delivers a review of emerging medical technologies and presents insight into their therapeutic promise - Chapters are arranged according to disease pathogeneses and relevance and include coverage of the mechanical, electrophysiological, and biological approaches for the management of patients with myocardial ischemia and arrhythmias