Cardiovascular medicine is one of the most 'visual' of medical specialities. Cardiovascular diagnosis is based on the recognition and understanding of a variety of graphic waveforms, images, decision trees, and microscopic sections. Treatment increasingly involves the use of algorithms which are also most effectively portrayed visually. Likewise, mechanical correction of cardiovascular disorders, whether catheter based or surgical, can best be described pictorially.

This atlas has been designed to provide a detailed and comprehensive visual exposition of all aspects of cardiac function and dysfunction. Several hundred images, accompanied by detailed captions, have been carefully selected by expert authors and reviewed by the editor.

This volume addresses normal cardiac function, mechanisms of dysfunction in heart failure, and therapeutic approaches to managing the syndrome.