Author Description

Between 1-2% of the adult population have chronic heart failure, with 6-10% of people over the age of 65 years suffering from the disorder. While the age adjusted incidence of chronic heart failure has remained stable over the last 20 years, its prevalence has increased with over one million cases in the United Kingdom alone.This practical pocketbook provides a guide for healthcare professionals - doctors, nurses and technical staff - who manage patients with chronic heart failure. Each chapter is written by a leader in that particular area of the treatment or investigation of chronic heart failure and provides a concise but comprehensive review of each area. As a whole the book provides a guide to aetiology, epidemiology, physiology and pathophysiology, and investigation and treatment of chronic heart failure close up. Further chapters address chronic heart failure with preserved systolic function and complex congenital causes of chronic heart failure. As chronic heart failure remains an often lethal disorder, one chapter focuses on the management of patients with advanced chronic heart failure with a section on end of life situations. Each chapter is able to 'stand alone' with key points at the beginning of each chapter and diagrams and flow charts to illustrate these key points.