The third edition of The American Heart Association Clinical Cardiac Consult is the result of the success of the first two editions of the resource. A property owned by the Council on Clinical Cardiology of the American Heart Association, the success of the resources has been due to the extraordinary efforts of the associate editors. This has been reflected in the increasing sales of the resource, reaching more than 22,000 copies worldwide.

In accepting the invitation to edit the third edition of the resource, my primary goal again was to capitalize on the success of the first two editions and, where possible, to improve, update, and expand its comprehensive coverage. The format of the resource remains unchanged, as are the majority of the topics covered by the resource. To ensure that the resource remains a contemporary reference text of clinical cardiology, some topics have been consolidated into other topics, all topics have been updated where appropriate, and new topics have been included. Furthermore, the appendix tables have been revised and updated.

It is impossible to single-handedly complete a project of this magnitude in a timely fashion without significant assistance and cooperation. My overwhelming gratitude is extended to many individuals for their assistance, especially including the following:

• The Long Range Planning Committee of the Council on Clinical Cardiology of the American Heart Association, for the continued invitation to be the editor and to carry out this important task.
• My associate editors, for their incredible industry and promptness. A resource of this type is not possible without the continued collaboration of a willing group of associate editors. Because two of the associate editors of the second edition were unable to assist in the third edition, two colleagues were added to the group: Linda Pape, MD, and Thomas Gerber, MD. Eight of the associate editors of the second edition continued their collaboration. As stated, all of the associate editors were uniformly helpful and complied with some very rigid deadlines. Without their prompt assistance and cooperation, none of this would have been possible. Furthermore, I wish to thank Bernard Chaitman, MD, and Robert Harrington, MD, for their contributions as associate editors of the first and second editions, and to thank Joseph S. Alpert, MD, the editor of the first edition and co-editor of the second edition of the resource for his contributions, his counsel, and his invaluable assistance and support.
• For reasons of space demands, it has unfortunately been necessary to remove the names of many contributing authors to the previous two additions of the resource. In many topics, their original work has been revised and updated in the present edition. I wish to extend my appreciation for their contributions. Previous contributing authors include A. M. Sheikh, MD; A. Seth, MD; A. D. Patel, MD; A. R. Kamdar, MD; B. R. Robinson, MD; C. Devireddy, MD; C. Russo, MD; C. K. Dyke, MD; C. S. Vaccari, MD; C. M. Brodsky, MD; D. McDowell, MD; D. Chandok, MD; F. K. Pohlel, MD; G. Cioce, MD; G. A. Ewy, MD; H. L. Dauerman, MD; H. S. Singh, MD; J. P. Ciaramita, MD; J. Lash, MD; J. P. Jorgensen, MD; J. A. Riddick, MD; J. A. Ternay, MD; J. Respass, MD; J. Langberg, MD; J. R. Alegria, MD; J. M. Larned, MD; J. J. Ramos, MD; L. Liberman, MD; M. Williams, MD; M. C. Bahit, MD; M. Frisella, MD; M. E. Wiisanen, MD; M. J. Forsberg, MD; M. P. Voeltz, MD; P. Anaya, MD; P. A. Kringstei, MD; P. C. Grow, MD; R. R. Vohora, DO; S. P. Whalen, MD; S. Garas, MD; S. C. Kuehn, MD; T. Mela, MD; V. K. Somers, MD.
• The staff of the publishers, Wolters Kluwer Health, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, for their assistance, and in particular Leanne McMillan, Product Manager, who has not been just an excellent and readily available liaison, but has been a willing and effective resource.

It is hoped by all involved in the publication of this resource that its readers will find the topics easy to find, precisely and contemporarily discussed, and will find the resource a useful and frequently used addition to their professional reference library.

J. V. (IAN) NIXON