In the end, most of our patients—and also most of us clinicians— will die a cardiovascular death. During life, many will experience discomfort and disability caused by diseases of the heart and blood vessels. This book is intended to be a primer on these causes of m- bidity and mortality. This book is comprised of chapters from the sixth edition of the large reference book, Family Medicine: Principles and Practice. P- lishing chapters on selected topics provides volumes that are easy to carry in the pocket, are available at lower cost than large comp- hensive volumes, and that allow clinicians to select books on areas that meet their specific needs. This book on cardiovascular diseases includes the chapter on Hypertension, which afflicts approximately 60 million Americans and contributes to many instances of heart disease, stroke, and k- ney disease. Chapters related directly to the heart are those on Is- emic Heart Disease, Cardiac Arrhythmias, Valvular Heart Disease, and Heart Failure. I included the chapter on Dyslipidemia, because elevated serum lipid levels contribute to many instances of card- vascular disease. Venous Thromboembolism and Cerebrovascular Disease are the chief diseases of blood vessel. The chapter on C- diovascular Emergencies includes what the primary care clinician needs to know when the unexpected strikes. When the primary care clinician provides Medical Care of the Surgical Patient, cardiov- cular disease is often the main area of concern.

Associate editor: Alan K. David, Scott A. Fields, D. Melessa Phillips, Joseph E. Scherger