Foreword

Article Outline

• Copyright

Cardiovascular disease accounts for one half of all deaths in the United States. Coronary artery disease is an extremely common disorder in developed countries and also in many parts of developing countries. Myocardial revascularization is a most important therapeutic procedure in the treatment of these patients.

The September and October issues of Current Problems in Cardiology present the history, the present, and the future directions of the 2 principle modes of myocardial revascularization by Drs. Schaff and Holmes. Both are superb practitioners of their specialties and are scholars and scientists. Both are colleagues who work closely together in the care of patients at 1 of the best medical centers in the world, the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, MN. They have provided discussion on each other's articles. Their perspectives are most valuable; the Editorial Board and I are grateful to them for these superb contributions. The Editorial Board and I are grateful to Dr. Hartzell Schaff^⁎ for very valuable comments.

• ⁎ Hartzell V. Schaff, MD is a Consultant in Cardiac Surgery at the Mayo Clinic. He is the Stuart W. Harrington Professor of Surgery at the Mayo School of Medicine, Rochester, MN. He is Vice-President, American Association for Thoracic Surgery.