LAMBERT, a major publisher, has embraced this project with great enthusiasm and dedicated its considerable resources to production of an excellent text. The need for this textbook may actually be greater now than before. Authors believe that this textbook will be helpful for physicians, residents-in-training, and medical students. The textbook is designed to additionally serve as an excellent guide for physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurses, nurse practitioners and physician assistants as they provide interdisciplinary care for cardiac and respiratory disorders. Each section of this textbook is thoughtfully developed to help the reader understand the nuances of caring for their patients. Worthy of emphasis, we believe, is the consistent and excellent quality of the chapters that make up each section of this text.