The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a screening tool called the Listing of Impairments to identify claimants who are so severely impaired that they cannot work at all and thus immediately qualify for benefits. In this report, the IOM makes several recommendations for improving SSA's capacity to determine disability benefits more quickly and efficiently using the Listings.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a screening tool called the Listing of Impairments to identify claimants who are so severely impaired that they cannot work at all and thus immediately qualify for benefits. In this report, the IOM makes several recommendations for improving SSA's capacity to determine disability benefits more quickly and efficiently using the Listings.

The ECG is a fundamental diagnostic tool in cardiology, allowingaccurate diagnosis and monitoring of acute and chronic ischemicheart disease. In this most comprehensive book of its kind,internationally renowned authors correlate electrocardiographicrecordings with anatomical patterns of myocardial ischemia toimprove the diagnosis and management of patients with ischemicheart disease. The book is structured in two sections. Part One coverselectrocardiographic patterns of ischemia, injury andinfarction. • Each chapter discusses a different ECG abnormality inturn, clearly explaining the ischemic insults andelectrophysiological mechanisms underlying each pattern to promoterapid and accurate interpretation of the ECG in the clinicalsetting. • ECG abnormalities are correlated with myocardial anatomyand coronary angiography to produce a series of practicaldiagnostic algorithms that allow the clinician to identify not onlythe occluded artery but the precise location of the occlusionwithin the artery, facilitating appropriate therapeuticdecisions. • The authors also propose a new classification of Q-wavemyocardial infarctions based on imaging correlations with advancedtechniques such as contrast-enhanced cardiac magneticresonance. Part Two of the book covers the ECG in clinical practice. Eachchapter focuses on a different clinical syndrome, describing therole of the ECG in a global approach to the diagnosis, prognosisand risk stratification of patients with acute and chronic ischemicheart disease and guiding clinical decision-making. Extensively referenced and illustrated throughout, this book ishighly recommended for any clinician involved in the diagnosis andmanagement of ischemic heart disease.

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.

This open access book focuses on diagnostic and interventional imaging of the chest, breast, heart, and vessels. It consists of a remarkable collection of contributions authored by internationally respected experts, featuring the most recent diagnostic developments and technological advances with a highly didactical approach. The chapters are disease-oriented and cover all the relevant imaging modalities, including standard radiography, CT, nuclear medicine with PET, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging, as well as imaging-guided interventions. As such, it presents a comprehensive review of current knowledge on imaging of the heart and chest, as well as thoracic interventions and a selection of "hot topics". The book is intended for radiologists, however, it is also of interest to clinicians in oncology, cardiology, and pulmonology.

This sixth edition is enriched by over 300 figures, 150 tables and a video-companion collecting more than 100 cases also presented in the format of short movies and teaching cartoons. This extensively revised and enlarged edition of this long-seller documents the very significant advances made since the fifth (2009) edition and is entirely written by Eugenio Picano, a pioneer in the field sharing his lifetime experience with the help of an international panel of 50 contributors from 22 countries representing some of the best available knowledge and expertise in their respective field. In a societal and economic climate of increasing pressure for appropriate, justified and optimized imaging, stress echocardiography offers the great advantages of being radiation-free, relatively low cost, and with a staggering versatility: we can get more (information) with less (cost and risk). For a long time, the scope and application of stress echo remained focused on coronary artery disease. In the last ten years, it has exploded in its breadth and variety of applications. From a black-and-white, one-fits-all approach (wall motion by 2D-echo in the patient with known or suspected coronary artery disease) now we have moved on to a omnivorous, next-generation laboratory employing a variety of technologies (from M-Mode to 2D and pulsed, continuous, color and tissue Doppler, to lung ultrasound and real time 3D echo, 2D speckle tracking and myocardial contrast echo) on patients covering the entire spectrum of severity (from elite athletes to patients with end-stage heart failure) and ages (from children with congenital heart disease to the elderly with low-flow, low-gradient aortic stenosis).

When a patient develops symptoms suggestive of and infarction, this section is emphasized. There acute coronary insufficiency, the health care sys are brief sections on prediction and prevention of tem is presented with a challenging diagnostic ischemic events, methods of diagnosing and siz and management problem. During the past 20 ing infarcts, and methods of monitoring the pa years, hospitals have been developing coronary tient with myocardial ischemia. A major focus of care units as the specialized inhospital facilities for the text is on "coronary care." As indicated above, such patients. For the past 15 years, many com during the past 20 years five distinct phases of munities have employed paramedical personnel coronary care have evolved: (a) prehospital, (b) to extend the principles of "coronary care" to the postadmission, (c) coronary care unit, (d) predis site of the patient who develops the problem. charge, and (e) convalescent. Cardiac rehabilitation programs have also been The section on pathophysiology begins with a established to facilitate the return to function of chapter by Greenfield and Rembert discussing patients who have had acute coronary insuffi the factors that determine the transmural distri ciency. More recently, aggressive medical and bution of blood flow. Reimer then shows the surgical techniques have been developed to either relationship between coronary blood flow and prevent or limit the extent of myocardial necrosis both reversible and irreversible damage to the that develops due to acute coronary insufficiency. myocardium.

Cardiac Ischemia: From Injury to Protection has been divided into six parts. The first part describes the differences between hypoxia and ischemia, animal models, the effects of ischemia on myocardial function and metabolism, and the electrophysiological consequences of ischemia. The second part deals with the mechanisms of cardiomyocyte death in ischemia, structural aspects of irreversible ischemic injury, necrosis and apoptosis of cardiac cells, the role of calcium, and the concept of calcium antagonism. The third chapter is a brief description of reperfusion injury, its clinical relevance, and possible prevention. The fourth part summarizes changes in myocardial vasculature during ischemia and reperfusion. The fifth part is the survey of two main possibilities for increasing cardiac resistance to ischemia and hypoxia, i.e. long-lasting adaptation to chronic hypoxia and short-lasting preconditioning. The last part of the book deals with comparative and ontogenetic aspects of cardiac sensitivity to oxygen deprivation; this chapter also summarizes the ontogenetic differences and limitations in endogenous and exogenous protection of the ischemic/hypoxic heart.

Coronary Microvascular Obstruction in Acute Myocardial Infarction: From Mechanisms to Treatment provides a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon of coronary microvascular obstruction (CMVO) that is the main limitation of reperfusion therapies in ST-elevation myocardial infarction. It provides in-depth coverage of the phenomenon of CMVO which heavily affects prognosis by increasing the risk of death and heart failure at follow-up. A first of its kind reference dedicated solely to this topic, it is appropriate for a wide audience, from researchers, to those who aid in the management, prevention and treatment of CMVO. - Provides in-depth coverage of coronary microvascular obstruction (CMVO), spanning research, management, prevention and treatment - Includes the most up-to-date information on CMVO as presented from top experts around the word - Provides access to a companion website with extra material, including tables, additional references and instructional videos - Gives extensive coverage on how to measure CMVO, including in-depth indexes that can be used to detect and quantify the phenomenon

This book focuses on the coronary bioresorbable scaffold, a new interventional treatment for coronary artery disease, differentiated from a permanent metallic stent. The book provides an overview of the technology including non-clinical studies and clinical evidences in order to help clinicians understand the appropriate application of the technology and the optimal techniques of implantation. It covers the basics of bioresorbable scaffolds; bench test results; preclinical studies; clinical evidences; and tips and tricks of implantation.