Brain protection in cardiac surgery

Section 1: The brain injury of cardiac surgery 1.1 Cerebral physiology and metabolism 1.2 The molecular and biochemical basis of brain injury and heart surgery - Interventions for the future 1.3 The cardiopulmonary bypass circuit and the brain 1.4 The neurological sequelae of cardiac surgery 1.5 The incidence, pre-operative risk factors and long-term outcome of subtle brain injury and cardiac surgery 1.6 The neuropathology of brain injury in cardiac surgery 1.7 Inflammatory response and the brain 1.8 The impact of brain injury on post-surgical quality of life Section 2: The assessment of brain injury 2.1 The utility of neuropsychometric analysis following cardiac surgery 2.2 Pitfalls of neuropsychometric assessment and alternative investigative approaches 2.3 Imaging of the brain in cardiac surgery as a tool in brain protection studies 2.4 Current techniques of emboli detection and their utility in brain protection studies 2.5 Intra-operative brain monitoring in cardiac surgery 2.6 The design of brain protection studies in the 21st century Section 3: Reducing brain injury in cardiac surgery 3.1 Temperature and brain protection in cardiac surgery 3.2 Studies of non-pharmacological interventions to reduce brain injury 3.3 Pharmacological studies to reduce brain injury following cardiac surgery 3.4 Off-pump and on-pump coronary artery surgery and the brain 3.5 Experimental basis and clinical studies of brain protection in paediatric heart surgery 3.6 Experimental basis and clinical studies of brain protection in aortic arch surgery Section 4: The future 4.1 The future of brain protection in cardiac surgery