This book is the first to approach the field of congestive heart failure as a true subspecialty of cardiology and cardiovascular surgery. The text discusses the entire field of congestive heart failure: the basic pathophysiologic mechanisms; the underlying diseases; the effects of heart failure on the remainder of circulation; the mechanisms and results of pharmacologic therapy; the multiple surgical and multidisciplinary approaches to end-stage heart disease; and the ultimate prognosis of congestive heart failure in all of the areas of heart failure management. Thus, this text uniquely puts into perspective all of the features of congestive heart failure and its management for the cardiologist, cardiovascular surgeon, and general internist.