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The two latest volumes in the Cardiovascular Clinics Series represent a timely addition to the rapidly expanding literature in the field of cardiovascular surgery and continue the fine tradition of the previous issues.
Dr. Harken, the guest editor, has invited outstanding authorities to contribute in their primary areas of interest and experience. The result of their effort is overall excellence though at times it suffers from the flaws of multiple-authored compendiums. Some overlap occurs in several areas involving valve substitution and perhaps one chapter on the bioengineering and evaluation of prosthetics might have brought together some of the clinical statements made in specific chapters on aortic, mitral, and tricuspid replacements. Most of the papers are well-illustrated, aiding the medical student or resident reader, while others, notably the chapter on aortic valve disease, have no pictorial information.
The presentations are generally well-written and provide current and well-organized material on most of