Clinical practice is evolving at a rapid pace, nowhere more so than in the field of cardiology.Acute Coronary Syndromes, Sudden Cardiac Death, Heart Failure, Atrial Fibrillation, Syncope, and Prevention of Global Cardiovascular Risk are the main Emerging Pathologies to which many investigators are addressing their researches. Less than 10 years ago, some of them were considered of relevance only to internists, and some others as a common benign arrhythmia or an ineluctable illness. Today, their prevalence amongst the population represents one of the major public health problems at the beginning of the third millen- um. The need to have a state of the art overview of the epidemiology, physiopat- logical and electrogenetic mechanisms, diagnosis, pharmacological or electrical treatment, prognosis, patient management in and out of hospital, organisational and economical implications of these emerging pathologies and the success of the previous edition inspired us to organise the second edition of this biannual International Meeting. This book contains the Proceedings of the Mediterranean Cardiology Meeting held in Taormina, Italy, 7 9 April 2005. Like the previous volume, it boasts the participation of many nationally and internationally renowned spe- ers in the field of clinical and interventional cardiology who will interact actively with the delega