Cardiology
Banning A., Lim CCS.
The world of cardiology continues to evolve at a rapid pace. Novel treatments are continually being developed, proven in clinical trials and absorbed into mainstream practice. Despite this, cardiovascular disease continues to be the main cause of death in the western world. Morbidity from seemingly relatively benign cardiac conditions is also significant. For example, atrial fibrillation and its complications currently consume 1% of the total NHS budget. Over the last few years we have seen a marked increase in the use of percutaneous procedures and device therapy to treat common cardiac conditions. These include catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation, biventricular pacemakers for heart failure, and the dawn of percutaneously delivered valve replacements and valve repair for aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.