I wish to express my personal gratitude to the individual contributors. This book would not have been possible without their hard work and dedication. I am grateful to the associate editors: Jill Fong, MD; Vinod Malhotra, MD; and Hugh C. Hemmings Jr., MD, PhD, FRCA, for their invaluable assistance. I would like to thank Colleen Distefano for her extraordinary secretarial help. I also like to show my special thanks to our editors at Wolters Kluwer: Keith Donnellan, Ashley Pfeiffer, and Ashley Fischer, for their commitment to excellence. In addition, I am indebted to Hugh C. Hemmings Jr., MD, PhD, FRCA, for his advice and support. Above all, my deepest appreciation goes to my family, Tong-Yi, Ning-Yen, Jean-Kuan, and especially to my dear compassionate wife, Baw-Chyr Peggy Yao. Her understanding, patience, and encouragement made this book possible.

Fun-Sun F.Yao, MD