Book excerpt: A critically acclaimed classic reference now in its third edition, Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapeutics provides current information regarding the contemporary use of all available cardiovascular medications for adults and children. Strongly emphasizing the scientific rationale behind the use of such therapies in cardiac disease, it discusses new drugs and novel compounds that are under development and may emerge as the cardiac therapies of the future. This edition also addresses special considerations for drug therapy use in the elderly, during pregnancy, and in those with hepatic or renal disease. A generous assortment of tables, figures, and appendices guides readers in their investigations of each drug group and various disease states.