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	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Heart failure develops when the heart cannot pump adequate amounts of blood for the body's needs. The heart tries to compensate and work harder by dilating (enlargement of the heart chambers), by becoming hypertrophic (thickening of the heart walls), or by beating faster. In many countries, heart failure is a leading cause of death. For individuals older than 65 years, heart failure is the most common cause of hospitalization. Because the burden of heart failure is large and affects health care delivery worldwide, new treatments and methods to diagnose heart failure are being developed. The June 13, 2007, issue of JAMA includes an article about the role of a new type of treatment for heart failure using biventricular pacemakers.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

• Shortness of breath, particularly with physical activity or when lying down
  
• Fatigue or weakness
  
• Inability to perform simple exercise, including grocery shopping or climbing a few stairs
  
• Palpitations (usually a symptom . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT