Matters of the Heart

The heart is a living organ bestowed with romantic, spiritual, and indeed a vital mystique through the ages. Speaking medically, it is an intricately designed pump that beats ceaselessly through the entire life time of an individual. As the heart develops in the fetus, structural aberrations may result in birth defects of the heart, from a simple hole to a very complex malformation. Similarly, the delicate heart valves may get damaged in later life. Rheumatic heart disease is one such disease affecting largely the poor. Coronary artery disease on the other hand afflicts those with increasing affluence and stress of modern life accompanied by indulgence in food, smoking and alcohol. Heart surgery started in early twentieth century and progressed by leaps and bounds once the heart-lung machine became available facilitating open heart operations on a large scale. The practice of medicine is for basic good of mankind, no matter where and how it is rendered. The men and women working in the field of cardiac medicine and surgery have brought the latest skills to the suffering patients everywhere. In the process, we unconsciously wear a mask of technical competence and efficiency and get far removed from the social and emotional milieu of the patients. This book is an attempt to remove this mask and look beyond bringing a unique Indian perspective.