Does surgical reduction of heart size reduce heart failure?

Opinion. Discusses the treatment of end-stage heart failure by reduction of heart size. The work of Brazilian surgeon RVJ Batista in treating end-stage heart failure by resecting a large amount of myocardium from the left ventricle, to reduce its size; Batista unable to provide accurate clinical follow-up data; Some contradictory findings of GD Angelini et al; Question of whether surgical reduction of heart size brings an additional benefit to the necessary mitral-valve procedure.