The Illustrated Handbook of Cardiac Surgery is adapted from the Second Edition of the color illustrated Manual of Cardiac Surgery (Springer-Verlag, 1995). The Illustrated Handbook of Cardiac Surgery communicates all the important informa- tion, but eliminates the detailed explanation of judgment and technique that is relevant only to cardiac surgeons or other individuals intensely interested in these details. The chapters covering operations explain the basic concepts and fundamentals of the operations. A selection of the most important biblio- graphic sources follows each chapter, but are not cited in the text. Individuals interested in more exhaustive coverage of information sources should consult the Second Edition of the Manual of Cardiac Surgery. The Illustrated Handbook of Cardiac Surgery should appeal to all individuals caring for cardiac surgical patients: cardiologists, anesthesiologists, radiolo- gists, general surgery residents rotating on cardiac surgery, medical students, physician assistants, nurses, perfusionists, and all other members of the car- diac surgery team. It should even appeal to laypeople who want to read about cardiac surgery in more depth than is available in lay publications. Our attempt has been to produce a book that is clearly written, clearly illustrated, and affordable. The techniques chosen are those developed over three decades of clinical practice and resident training at the Oregon Health Sciences University and St. Vincent Hospital, Portland, Oregon, and Sutter Memorial Hospital, Sacra- mento, California. These techniques have served us well.