Heart failure is a syndrome caused by a heart dysfunction that leads to insuf ficient blood in the peripheral tissues for their metabolic demands. This syn drome still remains an obscure clinical entity and even its definition is disputed. It has become increasingly apparent that heart failure may relate not only to cardiac dysfunction but also to other physiological alterations involved in the maintenance of circulatory homeostasis. In 1988, the Japanese Circulation Society organized a three-year project for research on heart failure. The research group consisted of ten investigators, all...

Heart failure is a syndrome caused by a heart dysfunction that leads to insuf- ficient blood in the peripheral tissues for their metabolic demands. This syn- drome still remains an obscure clinical entity and even its definition is disputed. It has become increasingly apparent that heart failure may relate not only to cardiac dysfunction but also to other physiological alterations involved in the maintenance of circulatory homeostasis. In 1988, the Japanese Circulation Society organized a three-year project for research on heart failure. The research group consisted of ten investigators, all...

New Horizons for Failing Heart Syndrome brings together the latest knowledge on heart failure syndrome and the status of research on heart failure in Japan, compiling the results of the Japanese Circulation Society's second research series. Contents include the molecular mechanism of heart failure, mechanics of contraction of the failing heart, energetics of the failing heart, exercise physiology, and new aspects of management of heart failure. The Japanese Circulation Society's 3-year project for research on heart failure was conducted in two series, the first from 1988 to 1991 and...