Biomechanics of Tendons and Ligaments: Tissue Reconstruction looks at the structure and function of tendons and ligaments. Biological and synthetic biomaterials for their reconstruction and regeneration are reviewed, and their biomechanical performance is discussed. Regeneration tendons and ligaments are soft connective tissues which are essential for the biomechanical function of the skeletal system. These tissues are often prone to injuries which can range from repetition and overuse, to tears and ruptures. Understanding the biomechanical properties of ligaments and tendons is essential for their repair and regeneration.

Whether you are a doctor, nurse, student, or otherwise interested reader, the stories here will help you to understand how medicine works and how medical error can happen. The lifelong process of learning that is a medical career requires healthcare workers to find a way to live through these setbacks without either becoming too adept at putting them 'down to experience' and forgetting their social significance, or 'burning out' and leaving medicine. The stories and discussions here present detailed narratives, analyses, and reflections on medical errors through actions, omissions, and misunderstandings. They offer a uniquely honest perspective on the social implications of medical error and will enable healthcare workers at all levels to analyse and learn from it without losing sight of its impact.

Diagnosis of death by neurological criteria (DNC) is a construct which has been part of the British medico-legal landscape for nearly half a century. This book examines the factors behind its emergence, and discusses the various changes that took place in the last few decades that culminated in the current definition and clinical criteria for determining brain-based death. It highlights the continuities and discontinuities in practice, and the impact they have on the issue of withdrawal of mechanical ventilation in intensive care units and on the field of organ transplantation. The book also explores the law's response to the introduction and development of DNC in clinical practice. It demonstrates how the legitimacy of the definition and criteria used by the medical profession were forged in the courtroom rather than in Parliament. It documents why case law were introduced in court, and assesses whether organ donation was a consideration in the deliberations. It will be emphasised that courts have given insufficient consideration to requests made in recent cases to consider a broader range of methods to determine death. Those pleas were made on the grounds that the definition and criteria used in the UK are dissimilar to those used in other jurisdictions that also adopt DNC; and that faith communities have a different understanding of death. By taking a close look at those other approaches before highlighting the inherent limitations of the courtroom as the forum that confers DNC its legitimacy, the book puts forward the argument that the democratic process should be engaged.

Neurosurgical procedures are becoming more common and are taking place in the operating room and in interventional suites. Procedures that used to be performed only at major academic institutions are also being done in small community hospitals, and anesthesiologists in private practice are being asked to care for these patients. In many cases, treatment options are controversial or rapidly evolving. Close cooperation between the anesthesiologist and neurosurgeon is essential to achieve optimal outcomes and early recognition of any adverse events so appropriate therapy can be implemented. Fundamentals of Neuroanesthesia is a comprehensive guide to neuroanesthesia that discusses neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, and neurosurgical procedures and offers practical approaches and solutions to administering neuroanesthesia and providing perioperative care for neurosurgical patients. Chapters emphasize clinical management of neurosurgical problems that may be encountered in community practice as well as major academic medical centers. Highlighted key points, figures, algorithms, and management procedures supplement the text. This book is a must-have volume for general anesthesiologists, anesthesiology fellows, and subspecialists.

The heart is our most important - and perhaps most mysterious - organ.

Every day it pumps 9000 litres of blood and beats around 100,000 times. But the heart is more than just a pump. In all major human cultures, it is seen as the source of love, sympathy, joy, courage, strength and wisdom. Why is this so?

Having witnessed the extraordinary complexity and unpredictability of human hearts in the operating theatre - each one individual in its make-up, like a fingerprint - heart surgeon Reinhard Friedl went on a search for answers. He examined closely the latest findings in neurocardiology and psychocardiology, and in The Beat of Life he shares his discoveries, using riveting personal stories to illustrate the complex relationship between the heart, the brain and the psyche.