For many years, there has been vast investment into researching 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. The latest trials and studies have generated a considerable amount of new data and many new concepts have been proposed looking at the epidemiology, diagnostic and treatment of acute heart failure. Acute Heart Failure informs cardiology, intensive care, and emergency medicine physicians on the diagnosis and management of severe acute heart failure from epidemiology through to diagnosis and treatment. This broad inclusive coverage ensures that the entire subject is covered in the necessary detail, providing information not only on the practical management but also the scientific basis behind the processes involved in acute heart failure. Because cardiologists and intensivists do not see the same patients and/or do not have the same background, this book represents a joint effort from internationally known cardiologists and intensivists to set up a single reference resource, appropriate for practice both in Europe and the US. Consequently, all involved in the treatment of these patients will benefit from the consistent approach to acute heart failure within this book.