Heart Stories is about patients and the great pioneers who revolutionized their care. These stories, based on real people and actual events, tell how my patients benefited from the creativity, passion, and tenacity of the great surgical and medical pioneers whose discoveries saved them and transformed their lives and the lives of their families.
In this book, you will learn how heart attack mortality was reduced six-fold, why coronary artery disease and sudden cardiac death are preventable, how cardiac surgery saved thousands of children and adults suffering from congenital and valvular heart disease, and why severe heart failure is now a treatable condition. You will also appreciate the vital role played by teachers, mentors, and academic institutions. The progress made during the last half of the 20th century and early 21st century occurred because doctors and scientists of many races, nationalities, and religions collaborated to reduce death and suffering caused by heart and vascular disease.

The book begins with my first day as a doctor in 1968 and ends in 2015. During these nearly five decades, one patient after another benefits from new ways to treat their heart disease. You will meet these patients and the men and women who cared for them or innovated new therapies that helped them live better lives.