Introduction

Abstract

The heart (Fig. 1.1) drives the circulatory system, contracting periodically to pump blood around the body [1]. Disruption to the regular rhythm of the heart can result in reduced cardiac output, disease and even death. It is predicted that by 2020 cardiovascular disease will account for 36 % of all deaths in the developed world, corresponding to 25 million cases annually and becoming the most common cause of mortality [2]. Because of the heart’s importance it is imperative to understand the underlying mechanisms to its behaviour in both healthy and diseased states. Only then can the ideal of curing heart disease be realised. Over the last 50 or so years, a reductionist approach has been taken to further understanding the working of the heart. Studies originally centred on the workings of the intact heart, but now focus on finer details, from segments of cardiac tissue to single cardiac myocytes right down to protein and DNA level [2], partly motivated by advances in technology and by the limitations of previous approaches. At the turn of the new millennium, it is becoming more and more important to understand how these individual components combine to provide the function of the intact heart.