Preface

Cardiomyopathies are the basic and featured cardiac pathologies in the 21st century, which threaten public health and health care budgets. New technologies for diagnosis, new re‐ searches for genetic structure, new definitions for nature of malformations and malfunc‐ tions, new classifications for pathologic types, and new surgical approaches for curative treatment will improve survival of patients with end-stage heart failure as well as clinical status. Every cardiomyopathy type has its own pathophysiologic changes, etiologic develop‐ ment, structural disruption, and functional behavior but similar clinical progress: dilated (decreased left ventricular systolic function) or restrictive (preserved left ventricular systolic function) myocardial dysfunction. The main scenario is depressed left ventricular function with varying degrees of left heart failure syndrome associated without or with right heart failure syndrome. In the last decade, a third form of heart failure type has been added: postimplant right heart failure. Left ventricular assist devices are developed to maintain cardiac cycle via continued drainage intercavitar ventricular blood volume into arterial circulation, especially on the left heart. If the right heart cannot adapt to this non-physiologic function, right heart failure can develop so as to cause death. Specific cardiomyopathies have peculiar features, and each of them is a separate subject for investigation. This book includes topics on pathophysiology, general forms and also specific types of cardiomyopathies, but also in‐ troduces new research in this field. The summary of last surgical treatment approaches, point out the technologic advance in health care. This book has been created by professio‐ nals around the world, who avert readers' attention on this gigantic health problem and present latest treatment solutions.

#### **Prof. Dr. Kaan Kırali**

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery Faculty of Medicine, Sakarya University Sakarya, Turkey

Head of Cardiac Transplantation and Ventricular Assist Device Department Kartal Koşuyolu YIEA Hospital Istanbul, Turkey

**Section 1**
