For many years, there has been a great deal of work done on chronic congestive heart failure while acute heart failure has been considered a difficult to handle and hopeless syndrome. However, in recent years acute heart failure has become a growing area of study and this is the first book to cover extensively the diagnosis and management of this complex condition. The book reflects the considerable amounts of new data reported and many new concepts which have been proposed in the last 3-4 years looking at the epidemiology, diagnostic and treatment of acute heart failure.

This issue of Heart Failure Clinics, guest edited by Drs. Giuseppe Pacileo, Daniele Masarone, Francesco Grigioni and Luciano Potena, will cover key topics in Advanced Heart Failure: From Pathophysiology to Clinical Management. This issue is one of four issues selected each year by our series consulting editor, Dr. Eduardo Bossone. Topics discussed in this issue include (but are not limited to): Pathophysiology of advanced heart failure: what I need to know for clinical management?, Advanced heart failure: definition, epidemiology and clinical course, Echocardiography in advanced heart failure: beyond diagnosis, Disease modifier drugs in patients with advanced heart failure: How to optimize their use?, Congestion in patients with advanced heart failure: Assessment and treatment, Inotropes in patients with advanced heart failure: Not only palliative care, Cardiac resynchronization therapy and cardiac contractility modulation in patients with advanced heart failure: How to select the right candidate?, Mitral and tricuspid valves percutaneous repair in patients with advanced heart failure: Panacea, or Pandora's box?, Left ventricular assist device: Indication, timing and management, Listing criteria for heart transplant: Role of cardiopulmonary exercise test and of prognostic scores, Right heart catheterization in patients with advanced heart failure: when to perform, how to interpreter?, Advanced heart failure in special population: Cardiomyopathies, Advanced heart failure in special population: Pediatric age, Advanced heart failure in special population: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and Treatment of advanced heart failure: What future holds?. - Provides in-depth, clinical reviews on advanced heart failure, providing actionable insights for clinical practice. - Presents the latest information on this timely, focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field; Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create these timely topic-based reviews.

Inflammation in Heart Failure, edited by W. Matthijs Blankesteijn and Raffaele Altara, is the first book in a decade to provide an in-depth assessment on the causes, symptoms, progression and treatments of cardiac inflammation and related conditions. This reference uses two decades of research to introduce new methods for identifying inflammatory benchmarks from early onset to chronic heart failure and specifically emphasizes the importance of classifying at-risk subgroups within large populations while determining the patterns of cytokines in such classifications. Further, the book details clinical applications of the pathophysiological mechanisms of heart failure, diagnosis and therapeutic strategies. Inflammation in Heart Failure's breadth of subject matter, easy-to-follow structure, portability, and high-quality illustrations create an accessible benefit for researchers, clinicians and students. - Presents updated information and research on the relevant inflammatory mediators of heart failure to aid in targeting future translational research as well as the improvement of early diagnosis and treatment - Provides research into better understanding the different inflammatory mediators that signal the underlying diseases that potentially lead to heart failure - Contains 20 years of research, offering a brief overview of the topic leading to current opinions on, and treatment of, heart failure - Provides a structured, systematic and balanced overview of the role of inflammation in heart failure making it a useful resource for researchers and clinicians, as well as those studying cardiovascular diseases

This book systematically focuses on central sleep apneas, analyzing their relationship especially with heart failure and discussing recent research results and emerging treatment strategies based on feedback modulation. The opening chapters present historical background information on Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR), clarify terminology, and explain the mechanics and chemistry of respiration. Following a description of the physiology of respiration, the pathophysiology underlying central apneas in different disorders and particularly in heart failure is discussed. The similarities and differences of obstructive and central apneas are then considered. The book looks beyond the concept of sleep apnea to daytime CSR and periodic breathing during effort and contrasts the opposing views of CSR as a compensatory phenomenon or as detrimental to the failing heart. The diagnostic tools currently in use for the detection of CSR are thoroughly reviewed, with guidance on interpretation of findings. The book concludes by describing the various forms of treatment that are available for CSR and by explaining how to select patients for treatment.

Pathophysiology of Heart Failure brings together leading basic scientists and clinicians, presenting new approaches to this complex problem, involving cardiomyopathic processes and ischemia perfusion injury. The result is a synthesis of state-of-the-art information on molecular biology, cellular physiology and structure-function relationships in the cardiovascular system. The role which excess intracellular calcium plays in the genesis of cardiac dysfunction is described as a fundamental mechanism underlying heart failure; one which may lead to improved prevention and treatment. Audience: Clinical and experimental cardiologists will find the book a helpful source of ideas and inspiration.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a screening tool called the Listing of Impairments to identify claimants who are so severely impaired that they cannot work at all and thus immediately qualify for benefits. In this report, the IOM makes several recommendations for improving SSA's capacity to determine disability benefits more quickly and efficiently using the Listings.

Arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease and heart fail ure are the commonest cardiovascular conditions to present in clinical practice. Over the past few years it has become in creasingly clear that they are closely and causally interrelated and that their relationship can have a significant bearing on prognosis. Epidemiological studies have shown that arterial hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for de veloping heart failure. Only one in four patients with hyper tension is adequately managed, and in 50% of cases, the hypertension has not been recognised or treated. Patients with pre-existing hypertension who go on to suffer an acute myocardial infarction have usually not previously had typi cal angina symptoms, the infarct territory is larger, life threatening arrhythmias are commoner and hence in-hospi tal mortality and long-term prognosis are markedly worse. The presence of raised blood pressure in the post-infarct phase doubles the risk of manifest heart failure. The close relationship between hypertension, coronary heart disease and heart failure makes the choice of therapeu tic strategy particularly important. Agents and classes of agents that have prognostic value in all three conditions should be considered first, as synergy might result in addi tional benefits. In such patients, this sort of therapeutic deci sion-making might have further advantages. The use of these agents may prevent complications which are not yet clinically obvious (such as heart failure).