Book excerpt: Myocardial protection is regarded as one of the most important, yet also most controversial aspects of cardiac surgery. There has been considerable improvement in myocardial protection strategies over recent years, utilising a variety of new approaches to treat cardiac diseases, and this text is intended to embrace the state of the art in this field. The book summarises the state of knowledge on all aspects of myocardial protection, including the latest in the treatment of cardiac diseases, robotics, pediatric surgery and the treatment of cardiac failure. Robotic surgery, valvular surgery, pediatric surgery and coronary surgery are all covered by renowned experts, producing a comprehensive, forward-looking view of the field of myocardial protection. This book should function to update physicians and surgeons interested in the field of cardiac surgery on the current state of knowledge on myocardial protection.