Coronary revascularization, mitral valve repair, left ventricular remodeling, procedures and devices

INTRODUCTION The significant increase in the prevalence, morbidity, and mortality from heart failure has resulted in a profound health crisis in the United States [1]. The impact of heart failure is observed not only in the loss of both quantity and quality of life, but also on the enormous financial burden it has placed on an already strained health care system. The practice of cardiovascular surgery has also been radically impacted as a consequence of the heart failure epidemic, as evidenced by the increased application of nontransplant surgical therapies, thereby creating a new subspecialty within the field.