Electrical therapy of the heart has rapidly evolved over recent years with the development of the cardiac implantable defibrillator and the application of the cardiac resynchronization therapy to improve performance of the congestive failed heart. There is an impressive amount of literature produced to assess the efficacy and effectiveness of the electrical therapy. New technology is continuously introduced into the market for the treatment of electrical heart disease with optimized performance and implemented design, with approximately 600,000 new pacemakers implanted each year. Attention of the electrophysiology community has mainly focused on the biomedical aspects of electrical therapy, but the psychological, emotional, social and cognitive aspects of the implantable devices has been largely overlooked. Health-related quality of life (QoL) and, to a lesser extent, psychological disorders, i.e. anxiety and depression, have rarely been assessed as outcomes in clinical trials, and results are pointing towards the impact of the implantable devices on QoL and mental health not being direct but moderated and mediated by several biomedical as well as psychosocial variables. Furthermore, the cognitive effects of the implantable devices have rarely been assessed in empirical studies, although cognitive impairment is largely associated with the heart disorders that require implantation of an electrical device and cognitive benefits are strongly expected from the therapy. The aim of this book is to collect, appraise and condense the results of all empirical studies that have investigated, even marginally, the relationships between the implantable devices and any psychological, emotional, social and cognitive dimension. This book is a cornerstone for all involved in device utilization (physicians, nurses, technicians, industry representatives) that need to understand this topic.​

Sudden cardiac death is a global health threat for which we have only partial answers. With growing elucidation of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of sudden cardiac death, better patient identification and treatment options are being developed. These include risk stratification paradigms, ICD therapy, pharmacological options, ablative procedures, and other treatments. This book covers many of these options, including defibrillator technology and clinical applications. It also examines pathophysiological pathways and etiologies as well as highlights risk-stratification in ion channel diseases and structural heart disease such as dilated cardiomyopathy.

In the newly revised Second Edition of Cardiac Care: A Practical Guide for Nurses, a team of dedicated and widely recognised nursing medical experts from around the world deliver an invaluable and practical guide for nurses who practice in cardiac care environments. This latest edition includes brand new chapters on structural heart disease, takotsubo syndrome, and non-obstructive coronary artery disease. While also covering the essential topics necessary for the proper provision of cardiac care, this practical guide for nurses provides: A thorough introduction to cardiac practice, including the mechanics of the cardiovascular systems and the regulation of cardiac and vascular function Comprehensive exploration of cardiovascular disease assessment, including risk factors for cardiovascular disease, laboratory tests, and diagnostic procedures Practical discussions of the detection and management of heart rhythm disturbances, including ECG interpretation, cardiac monitoring, and arrhythmias In-depth examinations of the detection and management of acute coronary syndromes, including chest pain assessment and discharge planning Chapter overviews, key concepts, learning objectives and activities, with critical points intermingled throughout Perfect for practicing nurses who care for patients with cardiac conditions, Cardiac Care: A Practical Guide for Nurses will also earn a place in the libraries of other allied health professionals in cardiac care settings.

This concise primer introduces mental health practitioners to the fundamentals of chronic heart disease. It reviews basic etiology and specific methods for assessing and treating comorbid psychological disorders.

This ambitious and comprehensive handbook represents an essential contribution to our current understanding of interactions between heart and brain, a research topic generating growing interest. Despite the increasing awareness that neural mechanisms are the primary cause of cardiac disease and its progression, therapy continues to focus on end-organ protection and does not approach the neural core of the problem. Growing public health problems such as heart failure are still treated with autonomic drugs that are 30-40 years old and simply act on cardiac receptors. However, it has now been shown that the progression of ischemic heart disease to heart failure is mainly due to abnormal central responses to incipient cardiac disease, with neural activation the primary cause rather than the consequence of cardiac remodeling. Written by leading international experts in their respective research areas, the book presents a variety of perspectives on the core topic: from social and philosophical to gender-related aspects. It is designed for a broad readership and includes dedicated sections for cardiologists, psychiatrists, neurologists and psychotherapists looking for a more insightful and targeted approach to neuro-cardiovascular disease.

Provides a comprehensive overview of epidemiologic, experimental, and clinical data evidencing the emergence of cardiac psychology as a specialty. It offers a thorough and up-to-date review of the scientific research supporting the relationship between cardiac disease and psychological condition, practical suggestions for developing a clinical practice and directions for future research in this new field of "cardiac psychology". The first part provides an overview of the psychological risk factors for cardiac disease. Emphasis is placed on physiological basis of mind-heart link, depression and anxiety, personality and relational aspects, and on advanced statistical tools for the study of personalities at risk. The second part offers a systematic overview of literature on psychological treatments in cardiac rehabilitation.

Wearable and Implantable Medical Devices: Applications and Challenges, Fourth Edition highlights the new aspects of wearable and implanted sensors technology in the healthcare sector and monitoring systems. The book's contributions include several interdisciplinary domains, such as wearable sensors, implanted sensors devices, Internet-of-Things (IoT), security, real-time medical healthcare monitoring, WIBSN design and data management, encryption, and decision-support systems. Contributions emphasize several topics, including real-world applications and the design and implementation of wearable devices. This book demonstrates that this new field has a brilliant future in applied healthcare research and in healthcare monitoring systems. - Includes comprehensive information on wearable and implanted device technology, wearable and implanted sensors design, WIBSN requirements, WIBSN in monitoring systems and security concepts - Highlights machine learning and computing in healthcare monitoring systems based on WIBSN - Includes a multidisciplinary approach to different healthcare applications and their associated challenges based on wearable and implanted technologies

A significant medical event is expected in 1992: the first human use of a fully implantable, long-term cardiac assist device. This timely volume reviews the artificial heart program-and in particular, the National Institutes of Health's major investment-raising important questions. The volume includes: Consideration of the artificial heart versus heart transplantation and other approaches to treating end-stage heart disease, keeping in mind the different outcomes and costs of these treatments. A look at human issues, including the number of people who may require the artificial heart, patient quality of life, and other ethical and societal questions. Examination of how this technology's use can be targeted most appropriately. Attention to achieving access to this technology for all those who can benefit from it. The committee also offers three mechanisms to aid in allocating research and development funds.

This book will change the way we understand the future of our planet. It is both alarming and hopeful. James Gustave Speth, renowned as a visionary environmentalist leader, warns that in spite of all the international negotiations and agreements of the past two decades, efforts to protect Earth's environment are not succeeding. Still, he says, the challenges are not insurmountable. He offers comprehensive, viable new strategies for dealing with environmental threats around the world. The author explains why current approaches to critical global environmental problems - climate change, biodiversity loss, deterioration of marine environments, deforestation, water shortages, and others - don't work. He offers intriguing insights into why we have been able to address domestic environmental threats with some success while largely failing at the international level. Setting forth eight specific steps to a sustainable future, Speth convincingly argues that dramatically different government and citizen action are now urgent. If ever a book could be described as essential, this is it.

This handbook brings together the full weight of contemporary evidence bearing on what is now commonly termed “psycho-cardiology”. It focuses on the role of psycho-social factors in the genesis and clinical management of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The book constitutes a critically reviewed compendium of current knowledge in the area, coupled with guides to evidence-based best practice in the field of psycho-cardiology. The following categories are covered: Social/demographic risk for CVD, Personality and CVD risk, Stress and CVD risk, Psychopathology (particularly affective disorders) and CVD risk, The psychological management of those with clinical CVD, Psychology in the prevention of CVD. The book integrates the evidence into a compelling argument that clinicians, researchers and those in public health will discount the role of psychological factors in regard to CVD at their own peril. And importantly for clinicians charged with the care of patients with CVD, the book poses the argument that failure to recognize the links between psychological factors and CVD may well be at the considerable peril of those patients under their care.