Heart failure is estimated to contribute to nearly 1 million hospitalizations and approximately 250,000 deaths annually in the U.S. The number of new cases of heart failure in the U.S. is estimated to exceed 400,000 annually. Though reliable estimates of the magnitude, incidence, and mortality of heart failure remain sorely lacking, heart failure is associated with a grim prognosis. However, little recent data exist, particularly from a community-wide perspective, to determine whether the incidence or survival associated with heart failure, and the management of this clinical syndrome, has changed over time.