Cardiovascular Biomarkers: Pathophysiology and Disease Management (Contemporary Cardiology) - Hardcover

From the Foreword...

"...readers of this text will find it an invaluable resource regardless of their familiarity with the subject."

From the reviews:

"This book provides a clear presentation of the use of biomarkers in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. ... The author seeks to provide clinicians with an authoritative book on the current state-of-the art in cardiovascular biomarkers. ... It is aimed at practicing cardiologists and does an excellent job of defining the development and use of the current set of cardiovascular biomarkers as well as providing insight into the future directions of the field." (Cooper Woods, Doody’s Review Service, March, 2008)

In the four pages committed to a discussion of myocardial infarction in the first edition of Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, published in 1950, there was no mention of use of the laboratory for management of patients. Thirty years later, when the first edition of Braunwald’s Heart Disease, A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine was published, 2 out of the 1943 pages in the text contained a discussion of the laboratory examinations in acute myocardial infarction. Our knowledge base of the multitude of ways that physicians can and should use the clinical chemistry laboratory has expanded dramatically since these classic texts were published. The nomenclature has changed: terms such as “cardiac enzymes” have given way to “cardiac biomarkers. ” The number of assays has multiplied, and the operating characteristics of available assays are impr- ing at a gratifying but dizzying rate. We now use biomarkers to diagnose cardiovascular diseases and also to frame our treatment strategies. Thus, there is a clear need for a scholarly compilation of the state of the art of cardiac biomarkers. Dr. David Morrow has expertly edited an authoritative book that answers this need. The 34 chapters in Cardiovascular Biomarkers: Pathophysiology and Disease Mana- ment were written by a group of individuals who are internationally recognized thought leaders and experts in clinical and laboratory medicine.