Heart failure is an important and ever expanding sub-speciality of cardiology. Many health care professional bodies are now developing specialist expertise in heart failure. This is true for cardiologists in training, consultant cardiologists, care of the elderly and general physicians, cardiothoracic surgeons, primary care doctors, pharmacists and specialist nurses. With advances in medical therapy, the prognosis of the condition has improved dramatically. Whereas once heart failure was a pre-terminal diagnosis, now for many it is treatable. However, some patients remain symptomatic and at high risk of death despite maximal medical therapy. These patients can benefit from a range of novel device therapies. For those who remain symptomatic despite optimal treatment cardiac transplantation remains an option. This updated book comprehensively covers all aspects necessary to manage a patient with heart failure. It gives simple, clear advice on the diagnosis, investigation and treatment options available highlighting the current evidence-base. The chapters provide concise and objective information to guide all health care professionals involved in the modern day multi-disciplinary management of the syndrome. The book is set out logically to mirror the patient journey in heart failure. An updated edition of the first practical manual of heart failure management.


Roy S. Gardner, Consultant Cardiologist, Scottish National Advanced Heart Failure Service, Golden Jubilee National Hospital, Clydebank, UK, Theresa A. McDonagh, Consultant Cardiologist, King’s College Hospital, London, UK, Niki L. Walker, Consultant Cardiologist, Scottish Adult Congenital CardiacService, Golden Jubilee National Hospital, Clydebank, UKRoy Gardner is the lead Consultant Cardiologist for the Scottish National Advanced Heart Failure Service based at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital in Clydebank. He has a specialist interest in advanced heart failure, cardiac transplantation, mechanical circulatory support, and complex devices. He is an honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Glasgow, and has an active research profile in heart failure and complex devices. As well as being an author/editor for two OUP books on heart failure (The Oxford Specialist Handbook of Heart Failure and The Oxford Textbook of Heart Failure), Roy is also on the ESC curriculum committee for advanced heart failure, and sits on the board of the British Society for Heart Failure as a councillor. Theresa McDonagh graduated from Edinburgh University in 1987. She trained in Cardiology at the Western Infirmary, Glasgow. She was involved in the research into epidemiology of Left Ventricular Dysfunction in North Glasgow and early work on BNP as a biomarker in Heart Failure. Subsequently, she was appointed as a Senior Lecturer to run the Heart Failure Service for Glasgow Royal Infirmary and the Transplant Assessment Programme for Scotland. Following this, she was the Clinical and Research Lead for Heart Failure at the Royal Brompton Hospital, London, until 2011 when she took up position as Professor of Heart Failure at Kings College Hospital, London where she combines a clinical interest in Heart Failure with clinical research. Niki Walker graduated from Glasgow University in 1996. She is an honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Glasgow. During the course of her PhD she studied ventricular arrhythmia mechanisms in heart failure. She is now a Consultant Cardiologist in the Scottish Adult Congenital Cardiac Service.