Thoracic Key

DISEASES OF THE AORTA Mark A. Creager Joseph Loscalzo The aorta is the conduit through which blood ejected from the left ventricle is delivered to the systemic arterial bed. In…

PULMONARY HYPERTENSION Stuart Rich Pulmonary hypertension, an abnormal elevation in pulmonary artery pressure, may be the result of left heart failure, pulmonary parenchymal or vascular disease, thromboembolism, or a combination…

PRINCIPLES OF ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY David D. Spragg Gordon F. Tomaselli HISTORY AND INTRODUCTION The field of cardiac electrophysiology was ushered in with the development of the electrocardiogram (ECG) by Einthoven at…

PHYSICAL EXAMINATION OF THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM Patrick T. O’Gara Joseph Loscalzo The approach to a patient with known or suspected cardiovascular disease begins with the time-honored traditions of a directed…

CHEST DISCOMFORT Thomas H. Lee Chest discomfort is a common challenge for clinicians in the office or emergency department. The differential diagnosis includes conditions affecting organs throughout the thorax and…

TUMORS AND TRAUMA OF THE HEART Eric H. Awtry Wilson S. Colucci TUMORS OF THE HEART PRIMARY TUMORS Primary tumors of the heart are rare. Approximately three-quarters are histologically benign,…

CARDIAC TRANSPLANTATION AND PROLONGED ASSISTED CIRCULATION Sharon A. Hunt Hari R. Mallidi Advanced or end-stage heart failure is an increasingly frequent sequela, as progressively more effective palliation for the earlier…

CHAGAS’ DISEASE Louis V. Kirchhoff Anis Rassi, Jr. Although the genus Trypanosoma contains many species of protozoans, only T. cruzi, T. brucei gambiense, and T. brucei rhodesiense cause disease in…

EDEMA Eugene Braunwald Joseph Loscalzo Edema is defined as a clinically apparent increase in the interstitial fluid volume, which may expand by several liters before the abnormality is evident. Therefore,…