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. There has been considerable amounts of new data reported and many new concepts 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 is about acute decompensated heart failure. Expert authors review the most current information available about comorbidities, management, drug therapy, and strategies to prevent a post-discharge adverse event. Keep up-to-the-minute with the latest developments in this life-threatening disorder.