Abstract
In medicine, the cardiovascular field is the most technically advanced discipline. The inherent technical challenges associated with the beating heart and the structure of the cardiovascular system has forced us to innovate from a biomedical engineering standpoint. Engineering achievements have helped us develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic technologies that provide safe and efficient solutions for our patients. In spite of such progress, cardiovascular disease remains the major cause of death, morbidity, and disability in the United States [1–3]. To eradicate heart disease within the next fifty years, substantial advances will be needed, and in particular, important technological hurdles need to be overcome. We foresee the progress in the field of nanotechnology could represent a major breakthrough in addressing some of our technical challenges. With this essay, we provide a glimpse at potentially important targets for nanotechnology in the field of cardiovascular medicine. By no means will this review attempt to be comprehensive but instead, it has been designed to trigger the interest of discoverers with substantial knowledge in the field of very small things.
