Throughout the past decades, the understanding of the pathophysiology of chronic heart failure and the therapeutic approach to this condition have un­ dergone considerable change. New developments are reported every year. Perhaps it is because of this continuing interest of researchers and physi­ th cians that the chapter on chronic heart failure of the 4 edition of Klinische Kardiologie has been so positively received. Several colleagues asked the authors to publish the chapter on chronic heart failure separately, because it would be more practical to use in daily work. When the request for an En­ glish version of this chapter reached the authors and Springer-Verlag, we were happy, on the one hand, because of the interest, but did wonder whether it would be wise to translate a typically German textbook into Eng­ lish. We invite you to send us your critical comments. Although Guidelines for the Treatment of Heart Failure have been pub­ lished recently by the WHO, by the European Society of Cardiology, and by the American Heart Association Task Force clinicians, practitioners, and stu­ dents still seem to need , a comprehensive view with emphasis on pathophys­ iology, epidemiology and therapy. The authors are grateful to Springer-Verlag for the good co-operation and tremendous personal commitment in making the English edition of Chronic Heart Failure possible. We hope to give our readers a good overview on this important clinical syndrome, one which re­ quires intelligent clinical research and sound clinical practice as weIl.

Contributions by: W.von Scheidt, M. Wankerl