ABSTRACT
Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a major health care problem facing western society. It is
the leading cause of death in the United States and is expected to grow significantly in the
years ahead. The health care costs are staggering and the costs are estimated at $100 billion
today and $1 trillion by 2020 (1). Medical therapy is the mainstay of treatment for CHF of
all etiologies and a detailed overview of the medical treatment of CHF is presented in this
issue. Ischemic cardiomyopathy is the leading cause of CHF in western society. There are
however, many patients for whom medical therapy is not effective and for whom surgical
therapy is appropriate (2,3).
