Book excerpt: The Cardiac Catheter Book: Diagnostic and Interventional Techniques Loaded with tips, tricks, and expert solutions to everyday clinical problems, this book is a must for all specialists and trainees performing cardiac catheterizations. It covers basic principles, diagnostic strategies for specific diseases, and the newest interventional techniques, giving readers the tools to successfully manage all types of valvular and structural heart disease. Special Features: Concisely reviews the basics of cardiac catheterization, with sections on indications, risks and complications, patient preparation, equipment and laboratory setup, contrast media, and interpretation of findings Covers the full range of interventional catheter techniques, including percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), coronary stent implantation, rotational athetectomy, cutting balloon angioplasty, shunt closure, and much more Examines current, evidence-based diagnostic approaches to such commonly seen conditions as valvular disease, cardiomyopathies, coronary artery disease, congenital heart disorders, pericardial disease, aortic dissection, and more Describes key new interventions for structural heart disease, including transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), interventions for mitral regurgitation (Mitraclip), occlusion of the left atrial appendage (LAA-Occlusion), and renal nerve ablation for resistant arterial hypertension Provides hundreds of illustrations, coronary angiograms, and radiographic images that clarify every concept Demonstrates step-by-step approaches, case studies, and detailed angiographic sequences in nearly 400 helpful videos From the fundamentals to the newest therapeutic advances, this book provides the core information needed by every practice performing diagnostic and interventional cardiac catheterizations. It is essential for interventional cardiologists, cardiology fellows, and interventional radiologists who want to quickly increase their knowledge and skills and offer optimal care to their patients.