Heart failure (HF) is an increasingly common health problem with high morbidity and mortality and numerous hospitalizations (Braunwald et al. 2001, Lainscak & Keber 2003, Vavouranakis et al. 2003). Nearly 5 million Americans have HF [American Collage of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) Practice Guidelines 2005, Washburn et al. 2005], and data from the Framingham database suggest
that 550,000 new cases are diagnosed each year (Miller & Missow 2001).