Pediatric and Congenital Cardiology, Cardiac Surgery and Intensive Care

An innovative book that covers the fields of pediatric cardiology, cardiac surgery and intensive care, also providing the availability of a specific website that will facilitate comprehensive data on surgical and medical management of congenital or acquired cardiac disease in pediatric patients and in adult patients with congenital heart disease. The aim of the textbook is to teach the bedside physicians, pediatricians, pediatric cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, anesthesiologists, intensivists, nurses and all other professionals involved with such patients, basic and advanced concepts of anatomy, pathophysiology, pre, peri and postoperative management of critically ill children and adults with congenital heart disease allowing these professionals to anticipate, prevent and efficiently treat such pathologies.

The chapters in the book will include detailed description of the anatomy, pathophysiology, current preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative assessment and management of the most common cardiac anomalies; it will also provide guidelines for the management of medical and surgical complications.

This includes not only cardiovascular issues but also guidelines for the integral management of cardiac patients, with extensive description of general principles of protection and treatment of complications affecting multiorganic performance, nutrition, skin protection to mention some.

In addition, the book will have chapters dedicated to the management of cardiac patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, uni and biventricular assistance, continuous veno-venous and arterio-venous hemofiltration and plasma exchange.

Practical guidelines for cardiovascular nursing, research and physiotherapy care will be also included in the book.

It will include chapters focused on cardiac database & risk factor assessment, cardiac transport, cardiac transplantation, acute and chronic pulmonary hypertension, management of cardiac failure, hybrid approach to complex cardiac defects, discontinuation of life and management of cardiac anomalies in underdeveloped countries, to mention some.

Last but not least, the project includes a specific website allowing caregivers to review medical and surgical procedures and to estimate their patients' risk scores by the Aristotle score system. For this, a contract would have to be established with the Aristotle Society and we do not anticipate any inconvenient with this procedure, Dr Lacour-Gayet being one of the mentors of this score.

Eduardo M. da Cruz, MD, The Children's Hospital Colorado, Dunbar Ivy, MD, The Children's Hospital Colorado, James Jaggers, MD, The Children's Hospital Colorado.