Methods of enhancing myocardial contractility and cardiac performance in a mammal with congestive heart failure are disclosed. In a first method a mammal with congestive heart failure is treated by administering to the mammal an effective amount of a combination of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I). A second method comprises administering to the mammal an effective amount of a combination of GH and IGF-I in the presence of an ACE inhibitor. This method results in enhancement of myocardial contractility and cardiac performance above the level achieved with ACE inhibition alone. Preferably the mammal is a human.
展开▼