Remarkable progress has been made in understanding and treating heart failure. Among other developments, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and b blockers have been found to have beneficial therapeutic effects, reinforcing the view that heart failure may be both a hemodynamic and a neurohumoral disorder. The Japanese Heart Failure Society was established to curb the threat of heart failure through research, education, and clinical practice. At the Societys 2nd Annual Scientific Meeting in Sapporo, molecular biologists, physiologists, clinicians, surgeons, and researchers in related fields met to strengthen professional bonds for the ultimate goal of preventing death from heart failure. This book contains presentations from the Sapporo conference that provide new insights into heart failure in the areas of pathophysiology, cardiac sudden death, medical and surgical treatment, and promising new gene therapy.