Preface Sources of Illustrations Introduction 1 Overview of the cardiovascular system Anatomy and histology 2 Gross anatomy and histology of the heart 3 Vascular anatomy 4 Vascular histology and smooth muscle cell ultrastructure Blood and body fluids 5 Constituents of blood 6 Erythropoiesis, haemoglobin and anaemia 7 Haemostasis and thrombosis 8 Blood groups and transfusions Biochemistry and cellular physiology 9 Membrane potential, ion channels and pumps 10 Electrophysiology of cardiac muscle and the origin of the heart beat 11 Excitation-contraction coupling in cardiac muscle cells 12 Vascular smooth muscle excitation-contraction coupling Form and function 13 Cardiac cycle 14 Control of cardiac output and Starling's Law of the Heart 15 Electrical conduction system in the heart 16 The electrocardiogram 17 Haemodynamics 18 Blood pressure and flow in the arteries and arterioles 19 The microcirculation and the lymphatic system 20 Fluid filtration in the microcirculation 21 The venous system 22 Local control of bloodflow 23 Regulation of the vasculature by the endothelium 24 The coronary, skeletal muscle, cutaneous and cerebral circulations 25 The pulmonary and fetal circulations Integration and regulation 26 Cardiovascular reflexes 27 Autonomic control of the cardiovascular system 28 The control of blood volume 29 Cardiovascular effects of exercise 30 Shock and haemorrhage Pathology and therapeutics 31 Risk factors for cardiovascular disease 32 Clinical measurement of cardiac and vascular function 33 Hyperlipidaemias 34 Atherosclerosis 35 Diagnosis and treatment of hypertension 36 Mechanisms of primary hypertension 37 Stable and variant angina 38 Unstable angina and revascularization 39 Pharmacological management of angina 40 Pathophysiology of acute myocardial infarction 41 Clinical aspects of acute myocardial infarction 42 Emerging approaches to therapy of coronary artery disease 43 Chronic heart failure 44 Treatment of chronic heart failure 45 Mechanisms of arrhythmia 46 Specific arrhythmias 47 Antiarrhythmic drugs 48 Diseases of the aortic valve 49 Diseases of the mitral valve 50 Congenital heart disease 51 Cardiac transplantation Case studies: diagnosis, treatment, result 52 Case study: heart failure 53 Case study: valvular heart disease 54 Case study: ischaemic heart disease 55 Case studies arrhythmias Index