State of the Heart: The Practical Guide to Your Heart and Heart Surgery

Written by respected cardiothoracic surgeon Larry W. Stephenson, M.D. with bestselling author Jeffrey L. Rodengen, "State of the Heart: The Practical Guide to Your Heart and Heart Surgery" is the ultimate source of information for heart patients, their families, and anyone concerned with heart health. Its 47 contributors include a who's who of prominent surgeons from the world's leading cardiac care centers and advice from many pioneers of heart surgery, including Christiaan N. Barnard M.D., Denton Cooley M.D., Michael DeBakey M.D., John Kirklin M.D. and C. Walton Lillehei M.D. Information is presented in a conversational style to help readers understand both the risks and the rewards of every contemporary procedure, along with the symptoms and effects of common and major disorders. In addition to contributions by the world's pre-eminent heart surgeons, the book features illustrations by Denis Lee, former head of the renowned medical art illustration graduate program at the University of Michigan, and Kelly Moore, a medical illustrator with the University of Miami. State of the Heart also includes one of the most comprehensive glossaries of any book on the human heart. The book, representing more than two years of intensive research, presents information in an easy-to-understand format. Bolded terms are defined within text margins for easy reference. An appendix describes prescription drugs used to treat heart patients and their potential effects.