Heart Failure: What a Non-Heart Failure Specialist Needs to Know

Approaches to and therapy for many cardiovascular disorders have changed greatly over the past several decades, but perhaps none have changed so greatly as the understanding of and therapy for heart failure. Advances have occurred in the understanding of the varying physiology for this clinical syndrome, including pharmacologic therapy, device therapy, and therapy for truly advanced stages of the syndrome. Future developments may well involve gene or stem cell therapy. Clinical trials continue to define the roles of newer approaches. Clearly, this highly prevalent syndrome and the evolution of its clinical appreciation and treatment have become too extensive; it is a rapidly evolving subject that until now has not been adequately covered in a standard medical textbook. Heart Failure:: What a Non-Heart Failure Specialist Needs to Know has been created to reflect the growth and expansion of the clinical field of heart failure and is aimed at non-specialists (primary care physicians, ER staff, general cardiologists, trainees, etc.) who encounter these patients on a daily basis. The authors hope that this book will provide the background for practitioners to develop rational therapeutic regimens designed to alleviate symptoms and improve the quality and quantity of life for patients with heart failure.