Preface

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is currently known to be one of the leading causes of death in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that CVD is responsible for one-third of all deaths globally. The annual cost of CVD to the world economy is estimated to be more than a trillion US dollars. The prevalence of CVD raises an urgent need to improve patient outcomes.

A significant proportion of CVD is associated with heart rhythm problems, which means that the rhythm responds poorly or not at all to the physiological needs of the body. There is both an excessively slow rhythm (bradycardia) and an excessively high rhythm (tachycardia) or an unstable rhythm (arrhythmia, rhythm disturbances). Fortunately, many methods, techniques, and tools have been developed and successfully applied today to stabilize and control heart rate. These measures benefit many millions of people every year.

Not only electrical pacing but also ablation is an effective minimally invasive surgical method and technique to reduce and block arrhythmias, both as an independent treatment method or in conjunction with pacing therapy. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has revolutionized the treatment of both supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias. The development of novel mapping systems has led to the ablation of more complex arrhythmias such as atrial tachycardia, atrial fibrillation (AF), and ventricular tachycardia (VT).

This book reviews modern cardiac rhythm management methods and devices together with some important medical aspects of their use. Written by the editors, Chapter 1 provides a developmental insight into modern methods and devices for cardiac rhythm management, both for electrical pacing and radio frequency ablation. Chapter 2 addresses the implantation problems of different pacing devices, focusing on both the surgical side and postoperative care. Chapter 3 discusses the possibilities of using pacemakers in under-water conditions. Chapter 4 examines the nature of pain after the insertion of implantable devices and how to reduce it. Chapter 5 looks at the past, present, and future directions in the development of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Chapters 6 and 7 discuss the problems of ablation, highlighting the short but strong pulse method and RFA of the epicardium.

The editors believe that the dedicated work of authors will provide readers with theoretical knowledge and practical guidance as well as the tools and skills to overcome the problems of heart rate management in their professional activities.

> **Mart Min** Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia

**Gabriel Cismaru** Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
