Pediatric Cardiology

This reference work aims to be the primary resource in the field of heart disease in children and adult congenital heart disease. It contains nearly 100 chapters covering all aspects of heart disease in three populations: fetus with acquired and congenital heart diseases, children with acquired and congenital heart diseases, and adults with congenital heart diseases. 

Divided into five main sections, the book provides a comprehensive, up-to-date, and continuously revised overview of what is known in the field as well as resources for practical use such as normal values, medication information, and review of published guidelines. The first section of the book includes historical background on congenital heart disease and the evolution of medical, surgical, and catheter therapeutics. The fetal heart disease section comes next and covers cardiovascular embryogenesis, etiological mechanisms, diagnostic tools, presentation and management, cardiomyopathies, arrhythmias, perinatal management, and emergencies. The bulk of the book lies in the third section on pediatric cardiology, which examines not only basic science, assessment, and therapies but also a wide variety of specific acquired and congenital diseases such as valvular lesions, arterial diseases, cyanotic heart diseases, cardiomyopathies, cardiac tumors, and pulmonary hypertension. This is followed by the section on adult congenital heart diseases, discussing echocardiography, electrophysiology, neurodevelopment, and a variety of unique aspects of congenital heart disease in the adult years. The final section of the book focuses on pharmacology with chapters on inotropes, vasopressors, diuretics, and more.

Pediatric Cardiology: Fetal and Pediatric Heart Diseases & Adult Congenital Heart Diseases is an essential reference for physicians, residents, fellows, medical students, nurse-practitioners, and allied health professionals in cardiology, pediatrics, cardiac surgery, and imaging/radiology.

Ra-id Abdulla, MD
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago,
Feinberg School of Medicine,
Northwestern University
Chicago, IL, USA
Senior Editor, Pediatric Cardiology, Springer Nature

Ra-id Abdulla is a pediatric cardiologist with more than three decades of experience in the field of pediatric cardiology. Dr. Abdulla currently holds the ranks of Professor of Pediatrics at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University and Visiting Professor of Pediatrics at Rush University in Chicago. Dr. Abdulla’s career in pediatric cardiology focuses on education and clinical practice. For much of his career, Dr. Abdulla oversaw the training of generations of young physicians in the field of pediatric cardiology in his past roles as Director of pediatric cardiology fellowship programs at the University of Chicago and Rush University, and his current role as co-Chair of the Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Scholarship Oversight Committee at Northwestern University.

Over the course of his decades-long career, Dr. Abdulla has cared for thousands of children with heart diseases in the Chicago area and through numerous medical missions to developing countries where his efforts include non-invasive imaging and medical care for children with heart diseases, post-operative care, and the forging of self-sufficient programs in pediatric cardiology at medical centers in developing countries.

Dr. Abdulla is a sought-after speaker in the field of heart diseases in children, with emphasis on education, research, and publication. He is a frequent lecturer at various universities and medical centers in the United States and globally.

Dr. Abdulla’s dedication for propagation of knowledge and research through the written word in the field of pediatric cardiology is selfevident. He served for more than two decades as the Editor-in-Chief of Pediatric Cardiology, a leading medical journal in the field, published by Springer Nature, and is currently the Senior Editor of this journal. Furthermore, Dr. Abdulla served as editor and author of numerous pediatric cardiology articles and book publications before leading the effort in producing this major reference in the field of pediatric cardiology.

Robert H. Anderson, BSc, MD, PhD (Hon), FRCPath, FRCS Ed (Hon)
Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
University College, London, UK
Emeritus Editor, Cardiology in the Young, Cambridge University Press

Bob Anderson remains a renowned figure in cardiac morphology. Allegedly “retiring” in 2007, he is still active in both education and research. His research has impacted greatly on the fields of cardiac morphology, pediatric cardiology, and cardiovascular surgery. He is a much soughtafter speaker, lecturing at notable universities and medical centers worldwide, and at international conferences concerned with congenital heart disease, although now this is largely accomplished by Zoom. Throughout his career, he has championed a consistent and logical terminology for the normal and congenitally malformed heart, advocating use of terms which are congruent with developmental evidence. He has now published more than 1300 peer-reviewed manuscripts. This rich body of literature has significantly improved the current understanding of congenital cardiac malformations, helping shape the field of cardiac morphology to make it relevant to cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons.

Carl L. Backer, MD
UK HealthCare Kentucky Children’s Hospital,
Lexington, KY, USA
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA

Dr. Backer is a senior pediatric heart surgeon with more than three decades experience in the field. He is a leading academic and clinical figure in the field of pediatric heart surgery. Dr. Backer has authored more than 500 book chapters and scientific articles and is the co-editor of the textbook Pediatric Cardiac Surgery.

Stuart Berger, MD
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago,
Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
Chicago, IL, USA
Dr. Berger is a leading figure in the field of pediatric cardiology. He heads the heart center at Ann & Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, one of the notable programs in the field in the United States, and has had numerous academic and clinical leading roles in pediatric cardiology. Dr. Berger is credited for more than 100 book chapters and scientific articles covering a wide spectrum of topics in the field.

Nico A. Blom, MD, PhD
Leiden University Medical Center
Amsterdam University Medical Center,
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Dr. Blom is a seasoned pediatric cardiologist who practices in Leiden and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. He is a leading figure in pediatric electrophysiology and has assumed many leading roles in the field in Europe. Dr. Blom is credited for more than 250 scientific articles and book chapters in the field of pediatric cardiology, particularly those relating to electrophysiology.

Ralf J. Holzer, MD MSc FACC FSCAI FPICS
UC Davis Children’s Hospital
University of California
Davis, CA, USA
Dr. Holzer is an internationally recognized expert in all types of transcatheter interventions for patients with congenital heart disease. He has participated in numerous research efforts for developing innovative ways of treating congenital heart diseases in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. His research has produced more than 100 peer-reviewed publication and more than 20 book chapters in the field of pediatric (interventional) cardiology.

Joshua D. Robinson, MD
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago,
Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
Chicago, IL, USA
Dr. Robinson is the Section Head of Cardiac Imaging for the Division of Cardiology at Ann & Robert H Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. His research is NIH funded, and he has authored more than 70 book chapters and scientific articles. Dr. Robinson is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance.