Engineering Medicine’s (EnMed) executive dean Dr. Roderic Pettigrew has co-edited a new book titled “Biomechanics of Coronary Atherosclerotic Plaque: From Model to Patient.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, one out of every four deaths in the United States is caused by heart disease. The most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease, which develops when the blood vessels that supply the heart become diseased with the buildup of cholesterol and fatty deposits in the arterial wall forming plaques. This type of buildup can harden the arteries, causing a condition known as atherosclerosis. If left untreated, atherosclerosis can lead to heart attack, heart failure or stroke when arteries in the head and neck are involved.

The 686-page book, published by Elsevier, is the first comprehensive text of its kind to focus on important biomechanical studies of coronary artery disease that have been conducted in the last decade.

“This book is an essential reference for students, researchers, engineers, clinicians and interventional cardiologists who seek to increase their knowledge of coronary atherosclerotic plaque initiation, growth and rupture, and improve the design of medical devices and medical or clinical interventions,” Pettigrew said.

Pettigrew co-edited the book with Dr. Jacques Ohayon, professor of mechanics at the Engineering School Polytech Annecy-Chambéry at the University Savoie Mont-Blanc, France, and Dr. Gerard Finet, director of the medical and interventional cardiology departments at the Cardiovascular Hospital Louis Pradel, Lyon, France. Pettigrew also contributed to multiple chapters in the book in addition to being co-editor.