This issue reviews the indications and procedures for surgery in patients with localized pulmonary infection. It includes articles on TB, pulmonary abscesses, fungal infections, and other entities.

The aim of this issue is to provide the thoracic surgeon with information about the staging and treatment of cancer to the mediastinal lymph nodes. The issue includes articles on the anatomy and physiology of the lymph nodes, imaging of the lymph nodes, and various techniques for diagnosing and dissecting the lymph nodes, including video-assisted mediastinoscopic lymphadenectomy and transcervical extended mediastinal lymphadenectomy.

This issue highlights management issues surrounding specific subjects within the clinical practice of thoracic surgery. The articles represent areas of thoracic surgery where there may be controversy, lack of consensus, or evolution. Each author summarizes the available literature with the addition of his or her own personal expertise.

The articles in this issue address psychosocial and quality of life concerns for patients who have undergone thoracic surgery. Topics include changes in quality of life after pulmonary resection; impact of minimally invasive thoracic surgery on quality of life; psychosocial aspects of lung transplantation; and physical, cognitive and emotional dysfunctions resulting from intensive care.

This issue of Thoracic Surgery Clinics covers the screening for and diagnosis and staging of lung cancer. Expert authors review the most current information available about fluorescence and navigational bronchoscopy, integrated PET/CT for mediastinal nodal staging, contraindications to pulmonary resection, approach to patients with multiple lung nodules, and more. Keep up-to-the-minute with the latest developments in this important aspect of thoracic surgery practice.

This book is a comprehensive reference on diffuse cystic lung diseases (DCLDs). DCLDs are a group of pathophysiologically heterogenous processes that are characterized by the presence of multiple spherical or irregularly shaped, thin-walled, air-filled spaces within the pulmonary parenchyma. In recent years, tremendous advancements have been made in these diseases leading to improved understanding of the underlying pathophysiology, and improved outcomes with targeted therapies. The authors, who are leading experts in the field, delineate DCLDs as a separate category distinct from other interstitial lung diseases, and have created this textbook specifically dedicated to this disease group. This book begins with a chapter introducing the definition and classification of DCLDs. Subsequent chapters address the pathogenic mechanisms underlying pulmonary cyst formation and provide a detailed overview of the radiological and pathological features of DCLDs. The common as well as uncommon causes of DCLDs are comprehensively reviewed in individual chapters, as are the varied clinical presentations and extrapulmonary manifestations, and approaches to management and treatment. The book culminates in a final chapter that presents a practical algorithmic approach to diagnosis that progresses from least invasive to most invasive approaches. This textbook provides a one-stop, comprehensive and integrated, clinical, radiologic, and pathologic overview of DCLDs that will be as useful to the practicing clinician as it is to the clinical investigator.

This book offers a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of optimal postoperative care in patients who have undergone thoracic surgery and discusses challenging issues that are of interest not only in the context of thoracic surgery but also more generally within the fields of anesthesia, intensive care, and pain medicine. The coverage ranges, for example, from use of non-invasive ventilation, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and new monitoring devices to fluid management, pain control, and treatment of arrhythmias. A key feature of the book is the exceptionally attractive list of authors, who represent the most authoritative experts on the topics that they address. The approach is appropriately multidisciplinary, acknowledging that in many centers thoracic anesthetists are responsible for care during the postoperative period. This book is exceptional in being devoted solely to postoperative care in thoracic surgery, even though the difficulties involved in thoracic operations sometimes exceed those of cardiac surgery, especially in the postoperative period.

This important issue of Medical Clinics provides essential updates in heart failure. The following topics are covered: epidemiology, pathophysiology, and general approach for heart failure; symptoms, signs, diagnostic studies, and prognostic significance of systolic versus diastolic heart failure; the appropriate use of biomarkers; oral versus intravenous diuretic therapy; guideline-based therapy including RAAS blockade, beta-blockade, and aldosterone antagonist, appropriate use of AICD and biventricular pacing; role of ventricular assist device; pathophysiological consideration and management approaches in acute decompensated heart failure; pathophysiology and current approaches to cardiorenal syndrome; heart failure with other comorbidities including diabetes, obesity, anemia, and cancer; heart failure and atrial fibrillation; and the role of disease management strategies in heart failure.

This book of 85 index cases is organized by clinical presentations that simulate real-life radiology practice in the emergency department. Companion cases spanning the differential diagnoses and spectrum of disease provide hundreds more examples for a fast, focused, effective education we like to call COFFEE (Case-Oriented Fast Focused Effective Education).

Medical Management of the Thoracic Surgery Patient, by Michael I. Lewis, MD and Robert J. McKenna, Jr., MD, is a comprehensive pulmonary and thoracic reference that takes a practical approach to the diagnosis, workup and care of the thoracic surgery patient. It is geared towards pulmonary and critical care physicians and their trainees as well as all other specialties with whom thoracic surgeons consult and interact. It outlines the principles for understanding the underlying disease entities as well as the clinical implications and complications of surgery, and interprets key surgical concepts such as correlative and functional anatomy for non-surgeons. Contributions from today’s authorities...“at-a-glance detailed key information, as well as summary bullets...and a multidisciplinary perspective, combine to offer essential guidance for confident patient management. As an Expert Consult title it includes convenient online access to the complete contents of the book—fully searchable—along with video clips of thoracic procedures, patient information sheets, all of the images downloadable for your personal use, and references linked to Medline at www.expertconsult.com. Includes access to a companion website at expertconsult.com where you can search the complete contents of the book, watch video clips of thoracic procedures, print out patient information sheets, download all of the images, and review references linked to Medline...providing you with a powerful resource for convenient consultation anytime, anywhere. Features ‘real world’ illustrative cases presented in a brief, bulleted format that facilitates easy access to and retention of the material. Examines every aspect of diagnosis and management for pre-, peri-, and postoperative care for an all-encompassing reference to respond to unique surgical problems. Provides coverage of individual topics supplemented by a brief case-based presentation, where appropriate, that lend a real-life perspective to the material. Contains all of the “need-to-know facts for a complete, thorough consultation in diagnosis and treatment of patients who undergo thoracic surgery. Offers practical information that utilizes the experience of today’s leaders while based on evidence in the literature for coverage you can trust. Examines current clinical controversies, providing you with an arena for discussion of sensitive topics and guidance on preferred approaches when relevant. Presents pearls, pitfalls, key points, and other learning elements in each chapter, to help you locate summaries of essential information “at-a-glance. Features chapters written by specialists of various disciplines, to equip you with a balanced perspective on each condition.