Mortality rates in congestive heart failure (CHF) are still increasing, but leading cardiologists believe there is cause for optimism in the light of recent trial results. For a while, it seemed that triple therapy with digoxin, diuretics and an ACE inhibitor could not be improved upon. But now, studies of &bgr;-blockers, calcium antagonists and an aldosterone inhibitor have shown that these agents may provide additional benefit to certain patients. These studies were discussed at the 44th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American College of Cardiology [New Orleans, US; March 1995]. No definitive conclusions have yet been drawn, but the groundwork has been laid for a new era of heart failure research.