The last three decades have witnessed enormous progress in the care of patients with congenital heart disease. Treatment of congenital heart disease is highly dependent on technology and much of the progress we have witnessed is attrib utable to technological advances we take almost for granted today. It would be difficult to overestimate the impact of these advances; noteworthy examples include the development of 2-D Doppler echocardiography resulting in increased diagnostic accuracy, improvements in preoperative management including the use of prostaglandins for maintaining ductal patency, better intraoperative support such as the development of cardiopulmonary bypass circuits specifically designed for neonates and infants and improvements in postoperative care too numerous to delineate. As the spectrum of congenital heart disease we can treat successfully has broadened and the results have improved much of the focus has shifted, properly, to long-term issues such as neurodevelopmental outcome and quality of life. Despite the current focus on long-term outcomes we must not forget that surgery is central to our treatment strategy. The word technology is derived from the Greek word "techne" meaning craft and before any late out comes can be measured the "craft" of surgery must be performed with excellence. Dr. Litwin's career has spanned these last three decades and he has witnessed and participated in the evolution of congenital heart surgery. The second edition of a "Color Atlas of Congenital Heart Surgery" is an outstanding contribution to the field by a master of the craft of congenital heart surgery.
Color Atlas of Congenital Heart Surgery covers the full spectrum of congenital heart defects, first depicting the pathology in pre-repair photographs and then detailing step-by-step the operative procedure. Dr. Litwin depicts the most common procedures along with the most complex ones, providing a range of information vital to residents and fellows in training as well as clinicians in practice.
One of the key aspects of the utility and practicality of Color Atlas of Congenital Heart Surgery is the unique perspective of the operative photos. Using a special side-mounted flash, the author’s photographs vividly capture the three dimensional spatial relations of congenital anomalies and surgical anatomy. Additionally, each illustration and photo is extensively labeled for clarity (indicating the patient’s left, right, cephalad and caudad positions).
With over 100 new illustrations and many new procedures, the new edition of Color Atlas of Congenital Heart Surgery is both a textbook and an atlas, providing an indispensable reference for every surgeon, cardiologist, intensivist, or anesthetist who treats patients with congenital cardiac anomalies.
