Channels Of The Heart

A comprehensive review of all the latest developments in cardiac electrophysiology, focusing on both the clinical and experimental aspects of ventricular repolarization, including newly discovered clinical repolarization syndromes, electrocardiographic phenomena, and their correlation with the most recent advances in basic science. The authors illuminate the basic electrophysiologic, molecular, and pharmacologic mechanisms underlying ventricular repolarization, relate them to specific disease conditions, and examine the future of antiarrhythmic drug development based on both molecular and electrophysiological properties. They also fully review the clinical presentation and management of specific cardiac repolarization conditions.

Research centering on blood flow in the heart continues to hold an important position, especially since a better understanding of the subject may help reduce the incidence of coronary arterial disease and heart attacks. This book summarizes recent advances in the field; it is the product of fruitful cooperation among international scientists who met in Japan in May, 1990 to discuss the regulation of coronary blood flow.

How is the heartbeat generated? What controls the strength of contraction of heart muscle? What are the links between cardiac structure and function? How does our understanding of skeletal and smooth muscle and non-muscle cells influence our thinking about force development in the heart? Are there important species differences in how contraction is regulated in the heart? How do the new molecular data fit together in understanding the heart beat? What goes wrong in ischemia, hypertrophy, and heart failure? This book paints a modern `portrait' of how the heart works and in this picture the author shows a close-up of the structural, biochemical, and physiological links between excitation and contraction. The author takes the reader through a series of important, interrelated topics with great clarity and continuity and also includes many useful illustrations and tables. The book starts by considering the cellular structures involved in excitation-contraction coupling and then described the characteristics of the myofilaments as the end effector of excitation-contraction coupling. A general scheme of calcium regulation is described and the possible sources and sinks of calcium are discussed in simple, but quantitative terms. The cardiac action potential and its many underlying currents are reviewed. Then the characteristics of some key calcium transport systems (calcium channels, sodium/calcium exchange and SR calcium uptake and release) are discussed in detail. This is then built into a more integrated picture of calcium regulation in succeeding chapters by detailed discussions of excitation-calcium coupling mechanisms (in skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle), the interplay between calcium regulatory processes, and finally mechanisms of cardiac inotropy, calcium overload, and dysfunction (e.g., ischemia, hypertrophy, and heart failure). Excitation-Contraction Coupling and Cardiac Contractile Force – Second Edition is an invaluable source of information for anyone who is interested in how the heart beat is controlled and especially suited for students of the cardiovascular system at all levels from medical/graduate students through senior investigators in related fields.

Contractility describes the relative ability of the heart to eject a stroke volume (SV) at a given prevailing afterload (arterial pressure) and preload (end-diastolic volume; EDV). Various measures of contractility are related to the fraction as the SV/EDV or the ejection fraction, and the dynamics of ejection as determined from maximum pressure rise in the ventricles or arteries or from aortic flow velocities determined by echocardiography. At the cellular level, the ultimate determinant of contractility is the relative tension generation and shortening capability of the molecular motors (myosin cross-bridges) of the sarcomeres as determined by the rates and extent of Ca activation, the turnover kinetics of the cross-bridges, and the relative Ca responsiveness of the sarcomeres. Engagement of the regulatory signaling cascades controlling contractility occurs with occupancy and signal transduction by receptors for neurohumors of the autonomic nervous system as well as growth and stress signaling pathways. Contractility is also determined by the prevailing conditions of pH, temperature, and redox state. Short-term control of contractility is fully expressed during exercise. In long-term responses to stresses on the heart, contractility is modified by cellular remodeling and altered signaling that may compensate for a time but which ultimately may fail, leading to disorders.

A quick reference to basic science for anaesthetists, containing all the key information needed for FRCA exams.

Easily understood, up-to-date and clinically relevant, this book provides junior anaesthetists with an essential physiology resource.

This book covers the latest information on the anatomic features, underlying physiologic mechanisms, and treatments for diseases of the heart. Key chapters address animal models for cardiac research, cardiac mapping systems, heart-valve disease and genomics-based tools and technology. Once again, a companion of supplementary videos offer unique insights into the working heart that enhance the understanding of key points within the text. Comprehensive and state-of-the art, the Handbook of Cardiac Anatomy, Physiology and Devices, Third Edition provides clinicians and biomedical engineers alike with the authoritative information and background they need to work on and implement tomorrow’s generation of life-saving cardiac devices.

Praised for its concise coverage, this highly accessible monograph lays a foundation for understanding the underlying concepts of normal cardiovascular function and offers a welcome alternative to a more mechanistically oriented approach or an encyclopedic physiology text. Clear explanations, ample illustrations and engaging clinical cases and problems provide the perfect guidance for self-directed learning and prepare you to excel in clinical practice.

This concise collection of electrophysiological facts prepares you to face the clinical questions surrounding arrhythmia and conduction disorders with confidence. Clear and direct, the book offers: succinct factual information supported by illustrations, tables, and references self-assessment questions for each chapter, to test your knowledge of the area Essential Cardiac Electrophysiology summarizes the fundamental information that forms the basis of the modern approach to cardiac arrhythmias, from an explanation of the electrophysiologic effects of cardiac ion channel activity to the latest information on available implantable defibrillators. All members of the cardiac care team will benefit from keeping this valuable guide close at hand.

Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of mortality and morbidity in the Western Hemisphere. While significant progress has been made in treating a major sub-category of cardiac disease, arrhythmias, significant unmet needs remain. In particular, every day, thousands of patients die because of arrhythmias in the US alone, and atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia affecting millions of patients in the US alone at a given time. Therefore, there is a public need to continue to develop new and better therapies for arrhythmias. Accordingly, an ever increasing number of biomedical, pharmaceutical, and medical personnel is interested in studying various aspects of arrhythmias at a basic, translational, and applied level, both in industry (ie Biotech, Pharmaceutical and device), and in academia. Not only has our overall understanding of molecular bases of disease dramatically increased, but so has the number of available and emerging molecular, pharmacological or device treatment based therapies. This practical, state-of-the art handbook will summarize and review key research methods and protocols, their advantages and pitfalls, with a focus on practical implementation, and collaborative cross-functional research. The volume will include visual and easy-to-use graphics, bulleted summaries, boxed summary paragraphs, links to reference websites, equipment manufacturers where appropriate, photographs of typical experimental setups and so forth, to keep this book very focused on practical methods and implementation, and yet, provide enough theory that the principles are clearly understood and can be easily applied.