Summary

The last 3 decades have seen major advances in cardiovascular medicine and surgery. Unfortunately, the results of efforts to improve outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF) are mixed. Although patients with chronic HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) have benefited in terms of survival and quality of life from neurohormonal blockers and devices, there has been no improvement in the management of patients with HF with preserved EF, and little improvement in patients presenting with acute HF. This article summarizes the progress that has been made in the treatment of HF in six areas: biomarkers, microRNAs, calcium cycling, gene therapy, cell therapy, and left ventricular assist devices.