Heart Failure: A Clinician's Guide to Ambulatory Diagnosis and Treatment Edited by Mariell L. Jessup, and Evan Loh 360 pages . Totowa, NJ ; Humana Press ; 2003 $99.50 . ISBN 1588290417 The distinguished editors of this book organized 25 authors to present, in 360 pages (including a 12-page index), a compact but broad overview of ambulatory management of congestive heart failure. Its 21 well referenced chapters are concise, averaging 17 pages, including two to four pages for references. Some of the chapters are standard material for heart failure, whereas others are aimed at special problems, and include “Heart Failure: The Economic Burden of a Deadly Disease,”“Examination of Patients Suspected to Have Heart Failure,”“Understanding the Syndrome of Heart Failure,”“Education and Management of the Whole Patient,”“Concepts of Biventricular Pacing and Heart Failure,” and “Alternate Therapies for Congestive Heat Failure.” Patient education is emphasized as a component of successful treatment. All authors are associated with the University of Pennsylvania Medical institutions. They present a practical, problem-oriented approach that appears to be well coordinated by the editors. I tried hard to take the reviewer's prerogative and snipe, but there really was no material to seriously criticize. The index is generally quite useful, although dilated cardiomyopathy is indexed, but there is no entry for cardiomyopathy or restrictive cardiomyopathy. The latter is embedded in the catheterization differential diagnosis of congestive heart failure (this should have been indexed, as well). In discussing hemodynamic evaluation, it is stated that “careful analysis of pressure waveforms and measurements may help to distinguish cardiac tamponade, constriction and restriction.” Perhaps a caveat should have been introduced at that point because sometimes there are very imperfect distinctions and, in any case, we are fortunate that the differential diagnosis of constrictive pericarditis and restrictive cardiomyopathy can usually be made noninvasively, especially with the newest methods, like tissue Doppler. All in all, this is a useful book with much practical information, all of which is well presented. It would make a nice gift for a favorite trainee or colleague.—David H. Spodick, MD, DSc, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA Reprinted from Cardiovascular Reviews and Reports Volume 25, Issue 3, Page 139