With this objective, Dr Shuvanan Ray, one of today's most recognized interventional cardiologists in India, has written and edited Handbook of Cardiac Intervention. His tips and tricks summarizes in 15 chapters along with a number of practical concepts that, with practice, would guide and advance the skills of an interventional cardiologist in the catheterization laboratory. This book focuses on key procedures and techniques. Each strategic or tactical move is graded by complexity level and described in a simple, step-by-step approach that includes guidance on how to overcome practical difficulties and navigate particularly challenging clinical scenarios and complications.

I hope, it would offer interventional cardiologists, fellows in interventional cardiology, Cath Lab nurses and technicians, tips and tricks gathered from the personal experience of an interventional cardiology expert and also guide on the latest procedures and techniques, performing challenging interventions, and managing complications and other difficult situations where evidence may be limited or inconsistent.

In 2005, more than two million PCI procedures were performed worldwide. This exponential growth in interventional cardiology has been possible because of: (1) continued refinement in technique and the advent of new devices to improve the success and safety of PCI, (2) expanded indications by well-defined randomized clinical trials, and (3) dramatically reduced rates of restenosis by the advent of drug-eluting stents (DES). Despite the increasing complexity of cases, the outcome of PCI has continued to improve and more importantly the need for urgent bypass surgery resulting from PCI complications has been almost eliminated, pushing this field further by allowing freestanding catherization laboratories to perform PCI without on-site surgery. Interventional cardiologists have now expanded their skills outside of coronary tree to include structural interventions (ASD, VSD, PFO, valvular heart disease) and peripheral interventions (carotids, subclavian, renal, iliac).

This handbook has compiled a group of expert authors guided by Dr Shuvanan Ray to provide an updated view in this ever-changing and growing field of interventional cardiology and to provide tips and tricks learnt from experience to face some technical difficulties in everyday practice particularly of help for young interventionalists at the beginning of their experience. I know Dr Shuvanan Ray from more than one decade since he was visiting our Center at the University of Turin (Italy) for several times and having the opportunity to work and discuss togother complex approaches. His experience grew up exponentially becoming one of the most renowned interventional cardiologists in India. His passion and dedication in this field is a warranty for the high quality of this handbook dedicated to all cardiologists who desire to learn and grow up in interventional cardiology starting from clinical indication to other important topics such as procedural access, hemodynamics, optimal coronary angiography, basic materials for PCI (guiding catheters, wires, balloons, stents), lesion evaluation by intravascular ultrasound and fractional flow rate (FFR), drugs used in Cath Lab and emergency situation. Lesion-specific approaches using various debulking and thrombectomy devices, bifurcation lesions, ostial lesions, calcified lesions, thrombus-containing lesions and total occlusions are discussed in detail with practical tips and tricks. The section on balloon valvuloplasty and congenital heart disease in adults provides the update 12of various specific approaches and results. Finally, complications of PCI and their management in the Cath Lab are emphasized to continue to both do the best safely and to prevent undesired complications.

The authors have made all efforts to provide this excellent handbook for the interventional cardiologists, fellows, and support staff. Undoubtedly, it will serve as an important reference resource for those who are participating in the field of interventional cardiology and I am sure will provide an important support for further growth of interventional cardiology in India.

There are extensive textbooks on interventional cardiology at our disposal, which require almost a lifetime to complete; so cannot be advised to cover up all, before one starts intervention. Learning from them should continue throughout the life. Till then, this small handbook, which deals with essential knowledge for day-to-day procedures can help those who want to start intervention as a fellow or an independent operator, as well as the people in Cath Lab, like technicians and nurses who ultimately form the team which delivers necessary care and makes the procedure successful.

I thank my Cath Lab colleagues, who contributed their valuable observations and knowledge, which helped me to write this book.

I wish to humbly acknowledge Susweta Banerjee (Chief of Cath Lab Nursing), Dipankar Sadhukhan, Sujay Bhattacharya, Taslim Ali Khan (Cath Lab Technicians), Jenni, Jijomon, Divya, Jenisha V, John Sheeja Mary, Jisha John, Bala Murugan, Neo Varghese, Rinku Mishra (Cath Lab Nurses), Orpita Nath, Soumi Saha, Kasturi Chakraborty and Banhi Sen (Cath Lab Coordinators) and Snehasis Biswas (for the preparation of entire manuscript), Dr Yashesh Paliwal (ICCU In-Charge), Sister Chandrani Chakraborty, Sister Banani Bhattacharya and Lipika Mondal (Customer Care).

My special acknowledgment to Ms Richa Deb Gupta, The ZD, Fortis Hospitals, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.16