Product Description
Though still the leading cause of death, coronary heart disease is now killing half as many people in the U.S. as in the 1960s, partly because of innovative treatments like bypass surgery, balloon angioplasty, and thrombolytic drugs. This book tells the stories of the bold researchers who developed such treatments and explores the tough ethical questions raised by the big money being made in modern cardiology.

Klaidman shows how clinicians, engineers, and entrepreneurs have devised radically new ways to treat a diseased heart. He examines the startling extent to which financial ambition has shaped the dynamics of cardiology--now a multi-billion dollar medical/academic/industrial/governmental hybrid--and the inevitable conflicts of interest such ambition creates. Can a patient's needs come first when market share and profits skew the focus away from medical prudence? Can clinical trials be both free of bias and fast enough to keep up with the flood of new drugs and high-tech devices? Klaidman tackles these questions using real cases, often in the context of wrenching bedside decisions.

Immensely readable and packed with vivid detail, Saving the Heart explores the past, present and swiftly developing future of a high-stakes medical specialty. And it weaves into the fast moving narrative advice on how to make the right treatment choices and identify the best cardiologists and surgeons. If you are one of the 14 million Americans who suffers from coronary disease, Saving the Heart could save your life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good read, but...
I am a medical student/researcher with plans to become a cardiac surgeon or cardiologist.I enjoyed learning some of the history of the Cleveland Clinic and am personally involved in some of the new developments that the author mentioned in the last chapter.My only problem is that the book was not representative of american cardiology or cardiac surgery as a whole.It seems that the author did all of his research in Ohio and the Northeast, whereas significant advances have taken place in other parts of the country (U. of Alabama, Mayo, Texas Medical Center).Two of the most famous cardiac surgeons the world has known - Michael Debakey and Denton Cooley were only mentioned in a few short sentences.The reader gets the impression that some less important surgeons (that happen to work at the Cleveland Clinic) invented cardiac bypass surgery when it was actually the work of hundreds.In the last chapter, the author mentions a technique called OCT.Yes, this technique shows promise (I work with it) but it was only mentioned because someone at Harvard is working on it.I can think of 10 examples of techniques that show as much promise.I wish writers that wanted to tell the world about American medicine would search all of America before they sat down to write. In sum, it was readable but had some holes that made me feel incomplete after I read it.

HEARTily recommended
Stephen Klaidman has provided us with a very interesting, easy reading book that I recommend to anyone who has a heart condition or is interested in the subject.The major portion of the book discloses chronologically how heart conditions were treated from its earliest practitioners to thepresent day.Biographical sketches of medical developers, practitioners,entrepreneurs, etc. provide human interest to the emerging history.

Allmajor surgical developments, most of which occurred in the twentiethcentury, are explained in detail. The struggles of medical pioneers to gainacceptance of what at the time were radical innovations are amply explored.Among these innovations are angiography (imaging technology), heart-lungmachine, coronary bypass surgery (with and without the heart-lung machine),angioplasty, and minimally invasive bypass surgery.

Hi-tech heartsurgery-an extremely complex and difficult subject-is explained for thelayman to understand. The benefits and problems of each of the currentprocedures are explained.

Klaidman explores hi-tech surgical instruments,a highly profitable multi-billion dollar business. His biographicalprofiles of some developers (doctor-engineer-inventors) and entrepreneursdisclose how the competitive race of developers to market first and therivalry of entrepreneurs for market share may be detrimental to the bestinterests of patients.

None of the many present sophisticated treatmentsprovide a cure!They just alleviate symptoms. The pioneers of today aresearching for cures. Their approaches are described and are not onlyfascinating but also innovative.

The final chapter discusses the ethicalquestions raised by our current medical system:conflicts of interestbetween practitioners with financial stakes in various treatments;competition between advocates of various treatment options; competitionbetween various surgical equipment manufacturers for market share; thepressure to reduce costs by HMOs; etc.

If there is one fault to the book,it is that the title "Saving the Heart: The Battle to Conquer CoronaryDisease" led me to believe that it would be more comprehensive. Thedrugs-nitroglycerin, Coumadin, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers,statins--were mentioned only as they pertained to a topic then beingexplored, not in the detail the surgical treatments were given. Not evenmentioned are life style changes--diet, exercise and meditation--that DeanOrnish has proposed.A book on these topics written as well as this onewould definitely be welcomed.

But for what this book does it does it sowell a five star rating is most appropriate. ... Read more