Principles of Pulmonary Protection in Heart Surgery

Over the past ?fty years, advanced techniques and strategies have arisen in the ?eld of myocardial protection. Meticulous trials, focusing on pulmonary protection during heart surgery requiring cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), have been missing. This te- book is intended to serve as a useful tool to spread information on strategies for lung protection during heart surgery with CPB. Emphasis on pulmonary protection will be turned to lung perfusion as an adjunct for minimizing the deleterious effects of pulmonary ischemia-reperfusion injury in heart surgery. Many renowned authors have contributed by presenting their expe- ence on lung perfusion in basic research and clinical trials. Furthermore, they have enlightened the quality of this textbook with new ideas, concepts, and future perspectives. The scope of this textbook is of interest to different professionals, such as card- vascular surgeons, pulmonary surgeons, transplantation physicians, cardiothoracic anesthesiologists, intensive care physicians, cardiothoracic fellows, radiologists, basic sciences physicians, cardiologists, pulmonary medicine physicians, perfusi- ists, nurses, students, and researchers. This textbook has 7 sections, aimed at addressing general and speci?c aspects of pulmonary protection during heart surgery with CPB. The ?rst section on general concepts provides information about anatomic, physiologic, histologic, molecular, and radiologic considerations regarding the lungs. The second section focuses on ischemia-reperfusion injury and is composed of several interesting chapters, addressing the basic science aspects of pulmonary p- tection, as well as experimental and clinical experiences from different heart surgery centers worldwide.